The Star of Fairy Tail
by Freerunner4427
Summary: My name is Vega Cosmitella, I was born in on the 7th of July, in the year X764. When I was 5, my biological parents dissapeared, and I was taken in by my adoptive parents. When I was 8, I found my first Black Key, summoning the Celestial Demon King himself. The day I turned 13, my new parents vanished without a trace. Six months later, I joined my Guild... (New Version! Still Upda)
1. Prolouge

I don't own Fairy Tail. Vega Cosmitella is mine though

* * *

 _"VEGA!" I heard him scream as I took the blow. As I fell, I could hear him struggling against our guild mates, demanding that they let him go. I heard my Demons snarling as I hit the ground, each of them letting out war cries as they charged._

 _The noises of the battle around me started to fade as he kneeled next to me. For such a strong mage, it was surprising to see the tears in his eyes as he pulled me up._

 _I slowly lost feeling as he brought me close, but I could still feel the blood that was running down my chest._

 _"Why?" He asked, the despair in his voice tangible as I felt him shake. "Why did you take that hit? It could kill you!"_

 _"I...know," I ground out through the pain. "But...I had to...had to take it. No one else...would have...survived...the blast." I felt my eyes start to close as he gripped my hand. I squeezed it back, assuring him that I was still here for now. "I...won't die...just yet." I said giving him a small smile. "I...still have to...kick that...bastard's ass...for hurting you."  
_

 _My hand went slack as my strength left me, and darkness started to creep into the edges of my vison. "No," He whispered as my eyes fell closed._

 _The last thing I heard as I blacked out, was his voice..._

 _"VEGA!"_

 ** _I've never fully considered, just how much my presence affected the world I knew..._**

 ** _But looking back on my life, I have touched so many lives, healed so many souls, made the world a better place just by being there for them, and I wouldn't have it any other way._**

 ** _My only regret if I die today?_**

 ** _I never got to tell Him..._**

 ** _...just how much he meant to me..._**


	2. Found

**I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, then it would defiantly be less kid friendly then it already is...**

* * *

I shivered in the cold as I plowed my way through the snowdrifts. The blizzard was picking up, the winds blowing and the snow falling faster with every second. The snow was already up to my waist, which for a five year old like me, was very high. I looked down at my hands, breathing on them to try and warm my stiff, frozen, fingers up.

Even as young as I was, I knew that it was important that I find someplace warm before I gave into my exhaustion. If I didn't...

...I would die.

My foot caught on something, and I tripped, falling forward into the snow. With a cold whimper, I pushed myself back up to continue on my way. That was when I caught sight of hole in the base of a rock not far from me. With a small smile, I plowed my way over to it, leaving a scattered snow trail behind me.

When I got out of the wind I started to warm up. The cave wasn't very big, but the smaller space heated up quicker as the snow began to pile up. I leaned up against the odd blue and purple stone against the wall, as far away from the mouth as I could get. The rock was oddly warm, and seemed to radiate more heat the longer I stayed. Eventually my exhaustion won out, and the delicious heat lulled me to sleep.

As my world turned black, I could have sworn that the wall behind me moved...

* * *

Celestiana looked down at the small child curled up against her mate. The girl was tiny, practically a hatchling, and she was half frozen. The pink, purple, and orange Star dragon sniffed at her, taking in her scent and ruffling her hair slightly. The girl shifted, but didn't wake up.

 _"What are you thinking Celestiana?"_ The Dragon Queen looked up at her black, purple, and blue scaled mate, her red eyes meeting his gold.

 _"She's so tiny Draconius."_ She said, growling slightly. _"Barely the size of a hatchling, and not much older. Why was she alone? Where is her Brood?"_

 _"I wouldn't know Celest."_ Draconius said, looking down at the girl. _"Humans are_ _ **very**_ _different from Dragons, something may have happened to her sire and dame. Humans don't abandon their young, unless they have a good reason."_

 _"Can we keep her?"_ Celestiana's question threw the great Dragon King for a loop, and he looked at her in shock. His mate was seriously thinking of taking in a slayer? _"She has amazing magical potential, and I think she may be the one we've been looking for. A slayer that could learn from both of us. The first of a new breed."_ He stared at her, thinking it over, before looking down at the girl again.

 _"Alright."_ He conceded, a small smile sneaking onto his scaled face. _"When she wakes up, we'll ask her."_

* * *

I shifted, waking up slightly. I opened my eyes, rubbing the sleep from them as I sat up.

I looked over at the cave mouth, and saw the sun shining brightly on the white snow.

I turned, and came face to face with not one, but two dragons...


	3. Explination and Discovery

I don't own Fairy Tail. But Vega is mine along with Celestiana and Draconius.

* * *

"Mommy look!" I yelled, attracting Celestiana's attention. I was now eight years old, Celestiana and Draconius had become my family, my new parents.

" **Star Dragon Queen's White Dwarf Strike!"** I yelled, aiming at the sky. A cannon of compressed starlight shot into the sky, breaking the sound barrier with a sound like thunder.

 _"Very good Vega!"_ _C_ elestiana said, nuzzling me. _"You've nearly mastered Star Dragon Slaying Magic."_ I giggled as she huffed at me, her breath blowing back my black hair. _"Very soon your father will begin to teach you his own magic."_

"I can't wait!" I said with a happy squeal. Dad had sworn that as soon as I mastered Star Dragon Slaying, I could start working on Celestial Dragon Slayer magic. Mom and Dad said that for some reason I was a powerhouse when it came to magic, and that I could easily adapt and learn as I grew up, something that Celestial Dragon Magic would allow me to do even better.

"When will he be back?" I asked curiously. Dad had left nearly a month ago to oversee the progress of the other dragons. Apparently, nearly all of the other dragons had found their own pupils.

 _"Any day now."_ Mom assured. _"Apparently Acnologia has been spotted in the area, and your father doesn't want to draw his attention."_

"Why is Acnologia so mean Mommy?" I asked, curious. Acnologia had been mentioned to me before, but Mom and Dad had always changed to subject before I could hear anything important.

Mom looked a me for a moment, like she was silently debating. " _Acnologia is your father's contender. He wants to take the throne and become the King of Dragons."_

"Why?" I asked, frowning as I thought. "Why would he want that?" Mom smiled at me, and began telling me the story of the Dragon Civil War...

* * *

I sat on the top of a nearby hill later that night, my favorite spot to visit when I needed to think.

I stared up at the stars, picking out the constellations that Dad had taught me as my mind raced a million miles an hour. The Twelve Zodiacs, the Thirteenth, the North Star, even his own constellation, Draco.

Mom had explained Acnologia's story to me, not leaving out anything. She knew I was smart for a eight year old, and that I would understand. She told me that one day, probably very soon, she and Dad would have to leave, and she explained the reason behind it too. My mind was practically racing from everything she had told me, and I looked down from the stars, and across the shadowed land.

A smaller gleam caught my eye, not because it was in the sky, but because it was down at the base of the hill.

I made my way down, carefully navigating each foothold I created over the three years. When I found my way down, I searched for the glint, watching carefully in the star and moonlight.

That was when I spotted it.

A key, about six inches long, half buried in the ground, and covered in dirt. I could just make out the symbol that way imbedded into it's handle.

A glittering black crown.

Curious, I dug it out, and rubbed it off slightly, cleaning it.

As the dirt came off, it's shining black metal, and glittering black stones came into view, sparkling in the starlight. The crown symbol became clearer, giving off a mystical glow, and a name came into my head...

* * *

 **Star Dragon Queen's White Dwarf Strike** \- One of the most powerful techniques that a Star Dragon Slayer can learn. it gives off the magical power equivalent of a nuclear bomb. Unlike most techniques, this spell MUST be aimed towards the sky, as the resulting explosion could level everything for miles. Aimed at the sky however, it looks similar to (but much more powerful than) a roar attack, only ten times the size.


	4. The Celestial Demon King

I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, Lucy wouldn't be so innocent. Credit for the creation of the Celestial Demons goes to _fairytailcrossover_. Thank you for letting me use them.

* * *

I stood before both of my parents, my key clutched in my hand.

They had examined it when I showed it to them, and explained Celestial Summoning Magic to me.

The key I had found was a very powerful, very rare, Black Key, one of only eleven in existence.

Mine just so happened to be the key of the most powerful, The Celestial Demon King.

At first, I was confused. Dad explained to me that Celestial Spirit Mages were notorious for their power, and sometimes for their cruelty. The key I was holding had been one of the many that disappeared over time as the spirit's treatment got worse.

Why **I** found it though, was a mystery.

But before I could even attempt to summon the Demon King, Dad **insisted** that I get a good handle on Celestial Dragon Slayer Magic.

It took me almost a full year, even with my new motivation.

Now was my day of triumph. My ninth birthday had come and passed, and I had managed to make my way through more than half of Dad's training before they agreed I was ready.

I took a deep nervous breath, and looked at my parents for encouragement. They smiled and nodded at me, their tails lashing back and forth in slight agitation. I knew that if things went wrong, they would step in and protect me.

I lifted the key, and focused. When my arm was leveled, I felt it.

" **Oh great demon of the Celestial Plane, I bid you. Come forth to my side!** **Open! Gate of the Celestial Demon King!** " I turned the key, and clear sound of a bell rang out. Time seemed to slow down around us as the world went silent.

The man who appeared was terrifying to say the least. Well, terrifying to everyone but me...

He was tall, a least fifty feet, with dark almost black skin. His hair was pitch black, and looked like it was darkness it's self. His eyes were blood red, kind of like Mom's, and seemed to glow with power. He was wearing a full set of black armor made from the same metal as his key. The long sword on his left hip had a blade that looked like it was made of pure shadows and darkness, while it's hilt glowed with a molten red color, like solid lava.

He looked around, his eyes narrowing at Mom and Dad before they settled on me. I met his gaze without fear, looking at him with childish curiosity. He let off a small chuckle, and started shrinking down until he stood about ten feet tall.

" **So you are the one who found my Key."** He said, laughing slightly. " **I must say, you are a little younger than I was expecting. What is your name young one?"**

"Vega." I answered, smiling at him. "Vega Cosmitella. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

 **"Well Vega, how old are you?"** He asked. I held up nine fingers, surprising him even more. **"So young to have so much power..."** He trailed off, like he was thinking it over, before he smiled at me again. **"Well my little demoness, I think we're going to be great friends."**

My face split into a full on grin. "I would love that!"

He looked back up at my parents, who were now smiling at him. " **And who might you be?** "

Mom smiled as Dad smirked. _"We are Vega's parents."_ Mom answered smugly.

 **"My new little Demoness is a Dragon Slayer?"** The great king asked.

 _"And a dual one at that."_ Dad explained. _"It's good to see you old friend."_

 **"Dracoius,"** The Demon king greeted, **"I knew you had taken a mate, but I never expected this."** He let out a laugh as I hugged his legs.

 _"They are my family. My queen and princess,"_ Dad said, watching me and mom fondly as I looked up at my new friend. _"And I wouldn't have it any other way."_


	5. The Tower of Heaven, Part 1

**This** **is were the story** **goes off cannon,** **'cause** **I REALLY** **didn't** **want Jellal to be evil in my fic (I'm a huge Jerza shipper.) I'll introduce a different evil character to take his place later,** **and maybe some mind control magic?**

 **As always, I don't own Fairy Tail, Vega,** **Celestiana, and Draconius** **belong to me, and credit for the Celestial Demons goes to** ** _fairytailcrossover_.**

 **I think I've covered all the bases,** **ON TO THE STORY!**

* * *

I was twelve when Mom and Dad sent me on my first mission.

The year was X776, and all the other dragons were preparing to go into hiding as Acnologia began his search for the remaining dragons. Viper and Ampere, the Poison and Lightning Dragons, had already gone underground.

I had mastered Celestial Dragon Slayer magic about a year after I found the Celestial Demon King's key, and was working on accessing my Dual Dragon Force form.

Up until then, I had only managed to achieve it once. And even though I passed out about a minute later, Mom and Dad said it was beautiful. I apparently had black, purple, blue, aqua, pink, and orange scales scattered across my face, back and hands, while more of them ran up and down my legs and arms. My hair got a few highlights from the first time, and was now bright purple at the ends.

The Celestial Demon King had become like an uncle to me, and helped me to train my Celestial Demon Magic whenever he could. I was now able to summon him for as long as I liked, whenever I needed him. He had entrusted me with a few of the other Black Keys as I grew older. I now had two of them. The Hydrus, Hydra, and the Raiju, Alepou, were now two of my best friends, and my self-appointed protectors.

Hydra had a long, lizard-like body, with dark green scales and a long slender tail. Three sleek heads sat on three snake-like necks. Each of the heads was able to talk, and had a slightly different personality. She also had an alternate form as well, a light skinned mermaid with a dark green eel-like tail, and forest green hair. She told me that she didn't take on that form very often, as it brought up bad memories. She practiced water and poison magic, and even taught me to swim about a month after I got her

Alepou appeared as a large fox like creature with dark ash grey fur. He had a long tail, and these odd blue markings that ran across his entire body, and glowed when he gathered his power. Around his paws and neck, were boney structures that acted like armor and were carved with intricate lightning bolts.

Both were extremely protective of me, and always watched my back whenever we were training, to make sure that I wouldn't be hurt. They never coddled me though, as they both knew that I loved fighting almost as much, if not more than they did.

 _"Vega!"_ Mom yelled out, grabbing my attention. _"Could you come down for a minute sweetie!_ _Y_ _our Father and I have something to tell you!"_

"Coming Mom!" I yelled. "Alright guys." I said, turning back to my demons, "I'll come play with you again as soon as I can."

"We'll see you soon Little Demoness!" Alepou called out as they disappeared.

I smiled and took off running down the hill. I slowed down though when I noticed the grim looks on their faces. "What's going on?"

 _"Something very dark and very powerful has sprung up on an island on the edge of our territory."_ Dad explained. _"It's a large tower, and many humans inhabit it, most not of their free will."_

"Slaves?" I asked, my expression going dark when they nodded. "Can we help them?" I asked.

Mom nodded _._ _"The Tower has attracted the attention of the strongest wizard's guild."_ She said. _"Fairy Tail. As far as we know, a few of their S-Class wizards are preparing to storm it as we speak."_

I nodded, understanding. "What do you want me to do?"

* * *

I crouched in the shadows, my preferred dark clothing keeping me camouflaged as I watched the guards drag away a blue haired boy. He had taken the blame for an escape attempt, and was now being punished.

I narrowed my eyes, and followed them as they descended deeper into the tower, towards the torture chambers

As I followed them, explosions rang out from above us. I smirked, the other slaves were fighting back. The guards tied him to a large pillar and left to help quell the uprising.

 ** _"You could save them you know."_** A demonic voice rang. The boy lifted his head, listening **.** ** _"You could save_** ** _all_** _ **of them Jellal. Your friends, family,**_ _ **Scarle**_ ** _t_** _ **, you could free them. All you have to do is give in."**_ I frowned, watching as lady appeared from the shadows, and transformed into a dark haired man. I could literally smell the crazy oozing off of her. **_"Give into me, revive me, and I will make your greatest desires some true."_**

 **"You aren't** ** _seriously_** **thinking of taking that things offer,"** I asked, my voice ringing out, pure and clear as I imbedded it with Celestial Magic. **"Are you, Jellal?"** His head snapped up as his eyes grew wide. **"Do** ** _not_** **give in to her temptation. What would your friends think? What would** ** _she_** **think?"** His eyes grew clearer with every word I said, coming back into sharp focus. **"You are** ** _supposed_** **to be their protector! If you give in, then** ** _everything_** **they are fighting for as we speak will all be for** ** _nothing_** **! You** ** _will_** **lose your** ** _family_** **, your** ** _friends_** **, your very** ** _sense of self_** **! If you give in, that thing** ** _will twist your mind until there is nothing left_** **!** **G** **ET UP** **Jellal, and** ** _fight back_** **!"** I smiled as the demoness let out an enraged hiss. The demon's brief control over the boy's mind was broken.

 _ **"Leave Kyouka,"**_ _I said, my voice still ringing with my magic._ **"Your influence will no longer work upon his mind."** She hissed at me, only to reel back a few steps as I snarled back from the shadows.

 ** _"I see how it is."_** She said, taking a step back. **_"You have won the battle today, Dragon Slayer. But I will be back for him, some day."_** I smirked, my teeth flashing white in the darkness as I started to project a thin gold aura around myself.

 **"Don't count on it,** **False** **Demon. By the way, the Celestial Demon** **K** **ing would like to have a few words with** **the others of** **your kin** **d** **. Something about,** **passing yourselves off as Celestial Demons** **?"** Her face paled as I spoke, only now understanding who I was. She turned and fled as I raised one of my keys, preparing to call Alepou.

"Now that thats over," I said, fully stepping into the light. "Let's get you free." I stepped up to him as Jellal watched me with wide eyes. I was just a little older than him, and I had actually saved him!

"Who are you?" He asked as I sliced the ropes around his wrists.

"My name is Vega." I said as I stepped back, letting him work feeling back into his wrists. "And we need to hurry. Your friends are in a lot of danger."

* * *

 **So, that's Part 1. Hope you enjoyed it. This has been Freerunner4427, see you next time!**


	6. The Tower of Heaven, Part 2

****Alright! Part Two!****

 ** **Once again, I don't own Fairy Tail, Vega belongs to me, and the Celestial Demons belong to**** ** _ **fairytailcrossover.**_**

 ** **Enjoy! :)****

* * *

When we made it back to the surface, things were starting to calm down, but not in a good way. The slaves were being cornered, and some were not able to fight back.

A jolt of electricity shot towards the crowd, and without thinking I dove into it's path, absorbing the lightning before it could hit them.

"If you want to hurt them." I growled, my eyes becoming reptile slits as my hair spiked up even more from the static and my anger. A few scales popped up on my arms and legs, each one it's own unique shade of black, purple, blue, aqua, pink or orange. My growl deepened and took on a dangerous edge as I stood tall and proud. "YOU'LL HAVE TO GET THROUGH ME!"

I grabbed Alepou's key and bought it up. "Open! Gate of the Raiju! Alepou!" Alepou appeared in a shower of blue sparks and the sound of a bell. He stood beside me, bright blue electricity crackling off of his body as he snarled.

"So give us your best shot!" I said, showing my fangs to them in a feral grin.

The human guards before me fled as we dropped into fighting stances.

I glanced behind me, making sure the kids were ok, before I ran towards a redheaded girl. A red beam shot towards her out of nowhere, and before I could intervene, an old man jumped in front of her, taking the blow himself. "Grandpa Rob?!" She yelled.

The old man stood tall, blocking what looked like half rotted corpses from coming closer. "My magic may not be as strong as it once was, but it's still strong enough to protect my friends!" He started glowing with power. "I WILL NOT LET YOU TAKE THE LIFE OF AN INNOCENT!" Fire magic rippled out from him, sending tremors through the ground as he sent the magic racing back at the corpses. An explosion ripped through the walls, tearing a hole in the far wall as he collapsed from magical exhaustion. Jellal abandoned his hiding place, racing over towards Erza and the old man.

"Grandpa Rob!" He yelled. Erza's head shot up, and her eye's widened as Jellal race over. At that moment, I was distracted as a corpse got passed me and sent another beam towards a group of kids. "Star Dragon's Shield!" I yelled, flinging myself in front of them as a dome of silver energy sprung up around me. The beam smacked into it, dissipating as I stood tall.

"Why did you protect us?" One kid a little younger than me asked as he stepped up next to me. He had dark maroon hair, and what looked like a winged serpent curled around his arm.

"Because if I don't, then who will?" My response seemed to shock him. "Those who are stronger have an obligation, a responsibility, to protect those who are weaker than themselves." I dusted myself off as I stood in front of them. "I'm not as strong as an S-Class, or even a real guild wizard, but if I don't try then I will never grow stronger!"

"Wow," I heard him whisper in awe.

My head shot up as a new sound reached me. The sharp whine of a new magic awakening...

I whipped around to watch as a red glow surrounded Erza. Jellal was still next to her, refusing to move. "Jellal!" I yelled as a red magic circle appeared, centered around Erza. "You need to back away now! Erza's magic has just awakened, she's not fully in control right now!"

His eyes widened as he quickly scrambled out of the way, and came to stand beside me. I spread my feet out, widening my stance as I waited. Erza let out a pained scream as her magic lashed out, throwing debris everywhere as a shockwave rolled out.

"Star Celestial Dragon's Dual Shield!" A large double barrier of silver and gold energy sprung up around me and the others, shielding us from the blast as Erza's magic ran wild.

I fell to my knees from the strain of shielding so many as Erza glowed, learning to focus her magic in seconds as weapons and tools raised up and shot towards the remaining guards. In the space of a few seconds, the guards were dead or dying, and Erza's magic calmed down. "She did it," The whispers broke out around me. "Erza defeated them all, we're free!"

I collapsed, my shields dropping as Rune Knights and Guild Wizards charged in. I was hauled to my feet by Jellal and the maroon haired boy from earlier, as they threw my arms over their shoulders.

I smiled at them, my slight fangs showing as I looked at both of them gratefully...

* * *

 **Star Dragon's Shield** \- One of Vega's powerful defensive spells, it creates a dome of solid silver energy protecting any inside it from attacks.

 **Star Celestial Dragon's Dual Shield** \- A spell that Vega invented, it combines her Star Dragon, and Celestial Dragon magic into a more advanced and powerful version of Star Dragon Shield, creating a dome that is swirls with both gold and silver energy.


	7. The Tower of Heaven, Part 3

**Alright! Conclusion of the Tower of Heaven!**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, but various magic that you don't recognize, scenes that shouldn't be there, and Vega belong to me.**

* * *

It took awhile for me to convince the Rune Knights that I wasn't one of the slaves or one of the enemies. Thankfully the other kids, and most of the adults, backed up my story, saying that if I hadn't showed up a lot of them probably wouldn't be there. The maroon haired boy was infinitely the most helpful, telling the Rune Knights what I had told him.

I found out that his name was Erik, he was actually ten years old, and that his little snake friend was called Cubellios. They had been best friends for years, ever since Erik had discovered her during a workday and had saved her from the guards. I thought it was cute how much they cared for each other, even though Cubellios couldn't speak English, and Erik couldn't understand her.

It wasn't long before the Knights pulled each of the kids aside for questioning and physicals from a Council Doctor. I sniffed around, sensing something else in the area.

My eyes widened as the bitter scent of a poison dragon lacrima filled my nose, and a boy's scream of pain hit my ears...

My instincts flared up and took the wheel as I raced towards the sound. What I found when I burst through the door, was horrifying.

Erik was strapped to a medical table, thrashing wildly as his magic flared and churned around him. A deep cut over his right eye was bleeding, and oozing what looked like red and black mist.

I took a step forward, activating the Alpha Dragon Magic my father taught me. Erik gave me a challenging snarl as I stepped closer, one that I answered full force. The energy from my Magic flared up around him, making him freeze mid snarl.

I got a good look at him then. His visible violet eye was wild and unfocused, blown wide from fear and pain. He cringed as I stepped closer, only to stop as I gently ran my fingers through his maroon hair. "It's okay Erik." I said softly, careful to keep my voice down. I knew his senses were probably going crazy at the moment, and the fact that he was fighting against it only made it worse. "Don't fight against it." I told him. He started to calm down as I kept running my fingers through his hair. "The lacrima is binding with your natural magic. The process is uncomfortable normally, but you need to let it settle. The more you fight it, the worse the pain is going to get."

"What is going on in here?" I heard as the door opened. The man that came through had an aura that was astounding to say the least. I recognized him as Gildarts, a Crash Mage and one of the S-Class mages of Fairy Tail.

"One of those sick bastards though it would be a good idea to implant him with a Poison Dragon lacrima." I said, anger leaking into my voice. I looked up at him, letting my desperation cloud my eyes. "Can you help him?"

He nodded. "One of my guild mates had the same thing happen to him recently." He stepped up beside me as I kept running my fingers through Erik's hair. I took a deep sniff of the magic in the room, identifying and sorting through the various scents. "We'll figure everything out when his magic settles." I nodded my thanks.

Finally, Erik calmed down enough to fall into a fitful sleep. I stayed by his side, keeping watch so that ass of a doctor wouldn't disturb the delicate process. Gildarts showed up occasionally, to check in on both of us and I had bandaged up Erik's hurt eye with his help once the bleeding slowed down.

It took almost two days for Erik to wake up again, and to say I was relieved when he finally opened his eye was an understatement. His magic had been churning and fluctuating for the entire time he was asleep, and I had been able to sense every ripple that went through it as it began to settle. "How are you feeling Erik?" I asked, helping him sit up.

"Better," He said, his visible eye still slightly unfocused. "Better than before at least." He winced, one of his hands coming up to rub his forehead. "What did that guy do to me?" He asked, focusing on me.

"He implanted a Poison Dragon lacrima into you." I answered gravely. "And he had to slash one of your eyes to get it in." His hand came up to his bandaged eye. A frown came over his face as he refocused on me.

"Why are you here then?" He asked curiously.

"Your instincts were going crazy." I answered, frowning. "I was the only one who was able to get close enough to calm you down without getting hurt." He frowned. "I actually had to hit you with Alpha Dragon Magic to get you to settle down long enough to let your magic meld." I threw an arm around his shoulders, hugging him close as he started to sniff. "That, and I was protecting you from the jackass who did this to you."

"If that's the case," He said, calming down. "Does that mean I have dragon instincts like you now?" He asked, looking at me curiously.

I smiled, glad that he had found an upside to the pain. "Yeah," I confirmed. "and since your inner dragon has already acknowledged me as an alpha, that means you recognize that I'm more powerful."

He nodded, before a different light came into his eye as he cocked his head. "Does that mean you're a matriarch?" He asked curiously.

I nodded. "But for some reason though, my instincts are recognizing you as a little brother."

His eye lit up in happiness, and he lunged forward, wrapping me in a hug. "I've never had a big sister before." He murmured as I wrapped my arms around him.

I laughed as I ruffled his hair. "Well I've never had a little brother before."

* * *

 **Alpha Dragon Magic** \- A special type of magic only active in one slayer of each sex at a time (usually corresponding mates) Alpha Dragon Magic gives it's user the ability to force dragons weaker than the caster to submit. It is similar to Dragon Supremacy Magic, but instead of forcing their will into the minds of dragons to follow the casters orders, Alpha Dragon Magic only works to calm and discipline the dragons that recognize the caster as an Alpha. It doesn't affect their will, or minds. This magic is currently active in Vega, but her equal user will eventually be revealed. Erik can use this magic to an extent eventually, essentially becoming Vega's Beta.


	8. What's Going On

**I don't own Fairy Tail. The Celestial Demons belong to _fairytailcrossover,_ and Vega is mine.**

* * *

"I thought I heard voices in here." Erik and I tensed and looked up as Gildarts walked in. Erik relaxed when I smiled.

"Pretty good Vega." He answered, giving me a smile. "The Rune Knights managed to hunt down the one you pointed out to them, and he's being held for questioning as we speak."

Gildarts turned to Erik, "It's good to see you awake kid." The older man smiled at him, and Erik smiled back. "How you feeling?"

"Better," Erik confirmed, "Much better."

"Good." Gildarts nodded. "In that case, the Rune Knights and I have a few questions about the man who did this to you."

"Alright." Erik said, nodding.

They kept him in bed for the rest of that day, and most of the next, insisting that he rest. He didn't fight it either, claiming that he was exhausted. But he did insist that I stay near him and (after some explaining) the adults agreed. The two of us talked until Erik fell asleep, and I passed out in the next bed over not long after.

It was almost noon when I woke up again. Immediately, I let my senses branch out as I sorted through the stimuli around me. I took in Erik's new scent as few feet from me, and reassured that my brother was safe I started branching out. Gildarts' scent was approaching, and Jellal and Erza were with him. Jellal and Erza gave off the scent of worry, while Gildarts scent was giving off amusement.

Erik sat up almost immediately, his eyes still glazed with sleep. "Someone's coming." He mumbled.

"You can smell them?" I asked. He nodded as the door opened.

"Vega!" Jellal and Erza yelled. They both pounced on me, hugging me.

"Where have you been?" Jellal asked. "I was worried you left before any of us could thank you!"

"I'm not heading out just yet." I assured. "I have a little more time until my parents are expecting me back."

Erik flashed me a grin. "Besides, why would I leave just yet?" I asked, smiling back at him. "My little brother still needs to get a handle on his new instincts." Jellal and Erza blinked in confusion, before they turned to look as Erik, who gave them a cheeky wave. The two of them leapt at him, bombarding him with questions as I giggled.

I looked up at Gildarts, who was watching us with a big smile on his face. "Any news?" I asked him.

His wide smile shifted into a frown as he thought it over. "A little, and not all of it's good." I shot him a look, and we both stepped out for a moment. "The man that we apprehended wasn't the doctor in charge of the whole operation. He was just a middleman for another's dirty work. The real doctor who approved the lacrima insert caught wind of us and fled long before we could get to him." My face darkened. "On the upside though, we've managed to apprehend most of his lackeys." I raised an eyebrow. "It seems that more than two-thirds of the medical staff were under his influence, and most not by choice." My frown lifted slightly. "He kept the unwilling ones under mind control spells."

"Have they been freed?" I asked, slightly concerned. "The innocent ones shouldn't be persecuted."

"The counsel is having some of their personal healers brought in to correct the damage." I nodded in approval. "On another matter, I want to bring the four of you, and any of the other kids who wanna come, to Fairy Tail. My Master would like to meet you."

"The four of us?" I asked.

"You, Erik, Jellal, and Erza." He confirmed. "The four of you have shown exactly what Fairy Tail looks for in it's mages." I cocked my head. "Heart," He explained. "And the drive to protect the ones you care about."

I smiled, he had summed up everything that Mom and Dad had strived to teach me. My smile turned sad as I remembered my time limit. "I'm afraid I can't just yet." I said. He raised a questioning eyebrow. "My Mom and Dad are expecting me back in a few days, and I have a few more things I _need_ to learn before I even think of joining a guild." He nodded in understanding. "I'd like to bring Erik with me." I said. "Dad might be able to teach him a few things, and in a years time we'll find our way to you. I'll have to ask my Dad for his permission though, and Erik will have to agree as well." Gildarts nodded, and I turned and walked back into the room.


	9. A History Story, and a Test

**I don't own Fairy Tail. I also don't own the Celestial Demons, they belong to** _ **fairytailcrossover.**_ **Vega belongs to me however, along with any unfamiliar characters and scenes in the story that you don't recognize.**

* * *

All three of the kids were sitting on Erik's bed, chattering away when I walked in. Erik looked up at me with a smile.

"What are you three up to?" I asked, plopping down next to them.

"I was telling Jellal and Erza what happened to me." He said, I looked at the two kids, who grinned back at me. "I also told them about you."

"Well I hope you didn't say anything bad." I said, making them laugh.

Erza smiled. "He's been singing your praises Vega." She said with a giggle. "He only stopped talking when you actually walked through the door!"

I laughed as they teased one another. "Alright kids, settle down." All three of them fell silent. "Now, it's already getting late, and I think it's time we all get back to sleep. Erik is still recovering."

"Um, Vega?" Erza asked. "Is it alright if we stay with you guys tonight?"

I nodded, smiling as they cheered. "If all three of you settle down now, I'll tell you guys a story that my parents taught me."

All three of them fell silent, looking at me in anticipation. I smiled, seeing their eager faces.

"Long ago..." I started, weaving silent spells that cast shadows on the white walls. "Long before Fiore was established, there was a land far to the north, called Skyrim." The siliques of ancient warriors and dragons began to flit across the walls. "It was a war torn country, filled with hardened warriors and battle mages. Dragons, Ogres, fairies, nymphs, and elves roamed freely across the land striving for power alongside armies of men. Chaos reigned, and the strongest and fiercest of dragons stepped forward to seize power. His name was Alduin, and he was not a friend of mankind, for Aldiun was known as the Apocalypse Dragon." The three kids gasped as the silique of a huge dragon appeared, roaring and devouring the shadows of men in it's path across the walls. "Just when they though all hope was lost, a new breed of hero stepped forth. They were known as the Dragonborn, and they wielded immense power." They watched with wide eyes as a single man, and a single woman stepped forward, soon to be flanked by dozens more on all sides.

"In the end, only one remained, and he stood alone against Aldiun. Weary from the battle he had fought already, and wounded from the claws of his enemies, he overcame every odd, and battled the Dragon King to his dying breath." The Dragon and human clashed in a display of immense power. "Unfortunately, the warrior had finished his time in this world, and fell on the battlefield after cutting Aldiun down." The shadows showed the warrior standing tall over the fallen form of the great Dragon, until he grabbed his side, and fell to his knees, before slumping over. "Since then, Dragons and Humans have honored the Dragonborn's sacrifice, and agreed that our two species would never willingly clash again." A shadow appeared of a Human and a Dragon creating a pact, showing them standing side by side before they faded away.

"In the end, only one remained, and he stood alone against Aldiun. Weary from the battle he had fought already, and wounded from the claws of his enemies, he overcame every odd, and battled the Dragon King to his dying breath." The Dragon and human clashed in a display of immense power. "Unfortunately, the warrior had finished his time in this world, and fell on the battlefield after cutting Aldiun down." The shadows showed the warrior standing tall over the fallen form of the great Dragon, until he grabbed his side, and fell to his knees, before slumping over. "Since then, Dragons and Humans have honored the Dragonborn's sacrifice, and agreed that our two species would never willingly clash again." A shadow appeared of a Human and a Dragon creating a pact, showing them standing side by side before they faded away.

The kids looked at me as I finished the story. "On that day the Dragons retreated, fleeing south to the warmer lands. And since then, they have faded into myth and legends as the centuries passed."

"How come you know the story then Vega?" Erik asked. Jellal and Erza looked at me in askance as well.

I smiled at them. "I'll tell you," I said, but held up my finger for silence. "If you promise not the tell Gildarts."

"We promise!" All three of them swore.

"My parents are dragons." Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. "They found me when I was five, and raised me from there. Where do you think Dragon Lacrima came from?" I asked, amused as Erik's jaw dropped. "Anyway, I've been taught to fight since I was little. They even taught me a little bit of the Language of Dragons, something that Dragons and Dragonborn instinctively understand."

"Can you teach us any of it Vega?" Erik asked.

I smiled. "I can do better." I glowed for a second, using the weak Reaquip Magic Mom insisted I learn. When it died down, I was holding a black acoustic guitar, that had silver marking scattered across it. I strummed it for a moment, adjusting the tuning before I looked up at them again. "Think of this as a simple test, if you can understand me throughout this, then I don't have to teach you."

The three of them smiled before sliding over to my bed to curl up around me. I let my fingers form the chords that I knew by heart.

(Play, Skyrim: The Dragonborn Comes – Female Cover by Malukah)

 _"Our hero, our hero, claims a warrior's heart,"_

All three of the kids fell under the spell, listening intently as I sang.

 _"I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes._

 _With a voice wielding power of the ancient Nord art_

 _Believe, believe, the Dragonborn comes."_

I plucked the cords, keeping my rhythm and timing perfect as I launched into the second verse.

 _"It's an end to the evil of all Skyrim's foes,_

 _Beware, beware, the Dragonborn comes._

 _For the darkness has passed, and the legend yet grows._

 _You'll know, you'll know, the Dragonborn's come."_

I spotted Gildarts listening from the door out of the corner of my eye, and I continued onto the vocals, keeping the strumming.

I smirked before I started on the last piece. This was the test. My voice took on a rolling growling accent as I started, and I kept a close eye on their reactions.

" _Dovahkiin! Dovahkiin!_

 _Naal ok zin los vahriin_

 _Wah dein vokul_

 _Mahfaeraak ahst vaal!"_

Erik's head shot up, and his eye glazed over, and he cocked his head, listening to the language that only the two of us fully understood. Jellal's eyes widened, a glimmer of understanding coming into his eyes. Erza sat up straight, listening intently as she recognized an oath of arms.

" _Ahrk fin norok paal graan_

 _Fod nust hon zindro zaab_

 _Dovahkiin, fah hin_

 _Kogaan mu draal!"_

"Well?" The three of them looked at me wide eyed.


	10. Heading out, with Company

**I realized that I never clarified their ages.**

 **Vega = 12**

 **Jellal = 11**

 **Erza = 11**

 **Erik = 1** **0**

English

 _Normal Dragon Speech/Thoughts_

 **Spells/Celestial Speech/Alpha Speech**

 **Dovah Language/Demon Language**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, if I did, Cobra would have never been evil. I don't own Skyrim either, and I only know a fraction of the lore surrounding that fanbase, so die hard fans, point it out to me if I get something wrong. I don't own the Celestial Demons, they belong to** ** _fairytailcrossover._** **I DO however, own Vega.**

 **Wow, there** **are** **a LOT of "I DON'T"s in there...**

 **In all honesty though, I'm surprised that I haven't gotten more reviews** **for this.** **I know it's a little different from what I normally write, seeing as most of my other fics are centered on humor, but would it kill you people to give me some feedback?! As long as it's not flame** **s...** **I believe that if you have no way of getting your point across in polite constructive criticism, then you shouldn't** **speak up at all!**

* * *

Jellal spoke up first. "The English part sounded like an old folk song." His eyes glinted with confusion. "But when you switched languages, I was surprised for a second when, at first, I couldn't understand it."

My eyes widened. "At first?"

Jellal nodded. "I kept listening, and then this second voice started over yours, translating it."

 _"Are you sure?"_ I asked, switching languages.

 _"Positive."_ He answered back fluently, unaware.

Erza and Erik looked at him in shock as I smirked. Jellal looked at us. "What?"

"You were both just speaking it!" Erza said, her eyes wide as saucers.

"That we were Erza." I said, nodding my approval as Jellal looked shocked. "Tell me, did you understand it though?"

Erza shook her head. "I couldn't." She admitted sadly. "I could feel the meaning behind it, but I couldn't make out the words."

I nodded, smiling at her. "That's a good start though." I admitted happily. "You already understand the intent behind each word. With some time and practice, you'll be able to understand and speak it fluently." She nodded, a small smile brightening her face. "Maybe Jellal can teach you." I suggested teasingly. Erik and I snickered when the two of them turned red. "I'm serious though, Jellal will be able to teach you once he gets the chance to practice switching between the two."

They both nodded, not daring to look each other in the eye as I turned to look at Erik. "You understood everything though, didn't you Erik?" I asked, smiling as he nodded.

A thoughtful look came over his face as he contemplated. "I did." He said quietly, ignoring the shocked looks the others shot him. "Every word was clear."

"Good." I said, nodding as I threw an arm around his shoulder. "Now that means one of two things. One, you are a Dragonborn, or you at least have some of their blood, which is highly unlikely."

"And what's the second?" He asked curiously.

"That your Dragon Lacrima has fully settled." I said, smiling. "And that I need to make a call as soon as possible."

* * *

 _"_ Yes," I confirmed, looking into the pool of scrying magic I created. "And with Viper gone, there's no one to teach him." Dad looked contemplative for a moment, like he was thinking it over. "I wanna take with me when I come back." I said. Dad looked at me in surprise. "My instincts already see him as a younger brother, and I can't help but want to protect him." I explained. "His instincts have done the same, recognizing me as an older sister and an Alpha."

Dad's eyes narrowed, and he growled for a second. _"You aren't wrong in your reasoning."_ He assured me as I let myself relax. _"But there won't me be much that I can actually teach him. Your Mother and I are a different type of dragon."_ He looked almost, worried. _"We can only teach him the basics."_

"I know." I said, nodding in understanding. "But the basics are better than nothing at all." Dad nodded in agreement. "I don't want him going into the world unprepared, even if he is a natural Sound Mage."

 _"He can hear the thoughts of others? Without any training at all?"_ Dad asked, surprise in his voice.

"Yes," I answered, certainty in mine. "He does it unconsciously right now, but with the slightest push..." I started.

 _"...He will be fully aware of it."_ Dad finished. He nodded his approval. _"That's my girl, already thinking like an Alpha. Learning and adapting to her Brood's strengths and weaknesses, and helping them to grow."_

I smiled at the praise before going serious again. "If we can help him, at all, it will put my mind at ease."

 _"Bring him with you."_ Dad said. I started smiling in glee. _"We will teach him as much as we can before we must disappear."_

"There's something else though," I said, my face turning serious. "Dad, I think I've found someone with _**Dovahkiin** _ blood..." Dad's scaled eyebrows shot up.

* * *

"So, I've got good news and bad news." I said as I packed. The three younger kids were gathered around me, watching with curiosity. "The bad news, is that I'll be leaving soon, probably tomorrow." Their faces fell at that. "No don't look at me like that." I scolded as they gave me sad faces. "The good news is that Gildarts will be escorting you and a few of the other kids to his guild, Fairy Tail. I think you two will enjoy it there."

"Two?" The three of them asked.

I nodded. "Erik is coming with me." Erik's head shot up, his eyes going wide with disbelief. "My parents have agreed with me that you need training. And since Viper, the Poison Dragon, disappeared awhile ago, the two of them have decided that they are the best shot you have." His face lit up in an excited smile. "They'll only be able to teach you the basics though, the rest you will have to discover for yourself." I laughed as he tackle hugged me back onto my own bed.

"That's more than I could've asked for." He said, snuggling into my arms.

I ruffled his hair with a laugh. "You didn't even have to ask." I said. "As your big sister, and your Alpha, I'm supposed to look out for you."

* * *

We left the next day after saying goodbye to everyone.

Gildarts smiled at the both of us before ruffling our hair. "I'm holding you to your promise Vega." He reminded me.

I nodded. "I said 'I promise,' didn't I?" I asked teasingly. "For a Celestial Mage, promises are sacred. I won't break it."

"I expect to see you both there in about a years time then." He said. I nodded, smiling at the man as Erik nodded too. We were just about to turn away when Jellal and Erza ran up to us. They tackled Erik in a hug before doing the same to me.

"Don't forget about us." Erza demanded fiercely. "And when you come back we call dibs on going on your first mission." Jellal nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry guys," Erik said. "We'll be there before you know it!"

"Ready to go?" I asked, shooting him a smile when he nodded. "Better hang on tight then," I said, offering him my hand. He grabbed my hand, shooting me a curious look. "First timers always get a little sick." I gave him a mischievous grin as silver energy build up around us.

"Bye guys!" I yelled. " **Star Sprint!** " We disappeared in a flash of silver.

* * *

 **Star Sprint** \- A physical spell that allows Vega to literally turn her body, and the body of anyone in contact with her at the time, into pure starlight, allowing her to move at the speed of light. This spell cannot be taught, as Vega created it herself with the help of Celestiana.


	11. Fairy Tail

**I don't own Fairy Tail, or The** **Celestial Demons.** **Draconius, Celestiana, and Vega belong to me, but the Celestial Demons** **belong to** ** _fairytailcrossover._**

* * *

Even though I knew it would happen eventually, I was still devastated when it came.

There was no warning, nothing that could have possibly prepared us for it.

Erik was eleven by then, his birthday coming and passing without a hitch as he trained with Dad in the ways of a Poison Dragon Slayer. Meanwhile, I was busy training with Mom and the Celestial Demon King, working out new styles to go with the two new keys I had been given, and learning more of Dovah history and the traditional songs that went along with it.

Edafos was a Bluecap, and appeared as a fully grown man with dark chocolate colored skin and dark blue hair and eyes. He never wore a shirt, but he did wear a pair of green pants held up by a tan belt that had wicked sharp pickax slipped into one of the loops. He was steadfast, and stubborn, and most of the time he had this stoic look on his face, but he was actually one hell of a flirt and extremely protective of me. He was a skilled fighter, and was a master of Earth Magic.

Medusa was a Gorgon, and she flat out hated men. Her upper body was normal, if scantily clad in a small, scaly, strapless bikini top that hardly covered her boobs. Her lower body was that of a black snake, which matched the snakes that made up her hair. She had slight serpent fangs, and glowing gold eyes that offset her pale human skin. Her voice was sweet, but dripped with unhidden venom, fitting considering that she was a Poison Specialist. She also had a crazy useful ability, able to turn anyone to stone with just a glance. Sure it was hard at first for her to turn them back again, but with a bit of practice she managed just fine. She was a good conversationalist, and once she got used to him and got to know him better she tolerated Erik for my sake.

On July 7th, in the year X777, all of the dragons...

...disappeared without a trace.

Including Draconius and Celestiana, the King and Queen of Dragons.

* * *

Almost five months after they disappeared, Erik and I were walking the road that would eventually lead us to Magnolia, and ultimately to Fairy Tail, in the middle of a snowstorm.

"Remind me why we're walking to Magnolia again?" Erik asked for the umpteenth time. "In _December_?!"

Because it's too far away to use **Star Sprint**." I said with a slight laugh. "And I don't have the energy to make it myself, much less with a passenger."

"What about **Cosmic Transfer**?" Erik asked. "Shouldn't it have teleported us there instantly?"

I shook my head. "I'm still developing that technique Erik." I admitted. "And right now it's not made for long distance. I'm just barely good enough to use it for instant dodging."

"He chuckled, sensing my frustration. "Don't be like that Vega." He said, no doubt reading my mind. "You'll get it down soon enough."

"I know little brother." I said, ruffling his hair, which had gotten longer over the year. "I just really want to get it right..." I said, trailing off at the end.

"Cause it's the last thing dad was teaching you? Before they disappeared?" Erik continued. I nodded, keeping the tears out of my eyes as I frowned.

"I feel like I owe it to them." I admitted sadly, my frown turning sad as I looked at him. "And I know that they would want us to continue as we were, training to be the best of the best."

"Exactly," I said, giving him a one armed hug. "We shouldn't dwell on the past," I looked down the road as the lights of a town came into view. "When our future is just about a mile ahead." Erik's head snapped around to look at the horizon. He let out a laugh and took off running, with me chasing and laughing after him. We reached the town in minutes, and ran laughing down the streets. Adults watched us race by, small smiles on their faces as we played tag in the snow. A few of them looked confused when I suddenly disappeared and reappeared in a silver spell circle, but most seemed to disregard it as magic was not something to raise a fuss at. After several minutes we both collapsed in the snow, laughing and wrestling, trying to pin one another.

My head shot up as I scented another Dragon Slayer, Erik doing the same next to me. He looked to me as I nodded and took off, tracking the scent to a large building as he followed on my heels.

A guild emblem was plastered on a banner above the door, and I knew in an instant that we had found it.

Fairy Tail.

* * *

 **Cosmic Transfer -** Similar to (but more advanced than) **Star Sprint** , it converts the caster's body into cosmic energy, allowing them to move anywhere in a split second. With mastery, this spell could allow the caster to basically teleport themselves over long distances, a blessing to Dragon Slayers with motion sickness.


	12. Natsu: The Fire Dragon Slayer

**I don't own Fairy Tail, or the Celestial Demons. The Celestial Demons belong to _fairytailcrossover,_ while Vega, Draconius, and Celestiana belong to me.**

* * *

Erik gave me a grin as we burst through the doors.

The noise level hit me first.

It seemed like the entire guild was partying, while a half naked black haired kid that smelled like Ice Make Magic and Snow was brawling with a pink haired kid.

My eyes widened as they settled on him. He was definitely adorable, with his salmon pink hair, dark green eyes, and white dragon scale scarf. He was young, about ten, and had a wide fanged grin on his face as he punched the Ice Make Mage in the gut, and smelled of Fire Dragons. His nose twitched, sniffing the air as I walked closer, and he looked up at me, his dark green eyes glittering with curiosity. I took in a deep breath of his scent, taking in the embers, coal, ash and smoke that made it up.

"You smell like dragon." He said, his eyes going wide with realization. He jumped at me, and I just barely caught him, balancing him on my hip as he chattered away. "I'mNatsuDragneel!Whoareyou?Who'stheotherboy?WhydoyoubothsmelllikedragonDoyouknowwhat happenedtoIgneel?!" I listened patiently, a small smile on my face as I deciphered his questions.

"Alright, in order." I said, looking at him. "It's nice to meet you Natsu, my name's Vega, Vega Cosmitella. The red haired boy is my younger brother Erik. We smell like dragons because we're Dragon Slayers like you, and Draconius and Celestiana talked about Igneel often. I never got to meet him face to face though, and no, we don't know where our own dragons disappeared too, much less Igneel." Natsu's face dropped at my admission, but brightened again as he remembered we were dragons slayers.

"You guys must be awesome!" He yelled, flinging his arms up in contagious excitement as my lips twitched into a smile.

Erik smirked. "We kind of are." He said proudly as I shook my head at him.

A small man with white hair walked up to us with a smile. "It seems that the two of you already have him wrapped around your finger." He commented, making me smile. "May I ask what brings you here?"

"We're looking to join Fairy Tail," Erik and I said in unison, grinning.

The old man smiled. "Well, you're defiantly in the right place!" He said excitedly. "I am Makarov Dreyar, the master of the guild."

Erik and I bowed in respect once that sank in. The little old man was the master of Fiore's strongest guild?

Made just about as much sense as anything though, seeing as we really didn't have the right to judge.

"Now what type of magic do the two of you use?" He asked curiously.

I smiled. "I'm a first generation Star and Celestial Dragon Slayer," I explained. "And I'm skilled with Celestial Demon Magic, and a small amount of Reequip Magic."

Makarov's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. He rubbed his forehead in exasperation before looking over at Erik. "I assume that you're a Dragon Slayer too?" He asked.

Erik grinned and nodded, letting Cubellios slither up out of his shirt to rest across his shoulders. "I'm a third generation Poison Dragon Slayer, and a natural Sound Mage. Cubellios here can shift into a much bigger form at will, and occasionally grows wings." He chuckled at Makarov's expression.

"HEY EVERYONE!" He yelled. The guild came to a standstill, everyone's attention landing on us. "WE JUST GOT TWO MORE DRAGON SLAYERS!" Everyone cheered and went crazy after that, partying like there was no tomorrow. Erik and I were pulled to the side by a white haired girl who introduced herself as Mirajane.

"Where do the two of you want your guild stamps?" She asked, pulling out the stamp. I turned around, shrugging off my jacket and lifting my hair up so that my upper back was exposed.

"Right in the center please." I said, "Right over my spine." She pressed the stamp just below my shoulder blades, and lifted it away. Erik told me later that my mark turned royal purple when the glow died down

"And you?" She asked, turning to Erik.

He thought for a second, then held out his left arm, palm up. "On my wrist please." He said. She stamped it, and just like mine it glowed for a moment before turning a bright toxic green.

One that was done, the two of us went searching for the people we already knew. After a few minutes we finally spotted them...

Erza looked good, much better than the last time I saw her. She actually looked healthy, despite the eyepatch that was still on her right eye. She was wearing the upper half of a suit of armor over a white dress, while a sword was sheathed at her side. Her guild mark was on her left shoulder in blue.

Jellal on the other hand had gotten taller, and was wearing a black and gold coat over a skin tight navy shirt and grey pants, with calf high dark grey boots. The tattoo over his right eye looked like it had gotten sharper, and stood out in it's bright red glory. His guild mark was on the right side of his neck in bright red.

"Guys!" Erik yelled, tackling them. Erza and Jellal looked up in surprise and shock as he hugged them, only to start laughing when they realized it was us.

"Vega, Erik!" Erza said, "We weren't expecting you for at least another year!" The delight on her face was evident, as was Jellal's excitement. "What brings you here early?"

"Bad news I'm afraid." I said, my face going grave. "Our parents disappeared, probably around the same time Natsu's." I was about to continue, when another scent hit my nose and I looked over as someone walked by...


	13. The Second Gen

**I don't own Fairy Tail, or the Celestial Demons. That's what the Legal Team keeps telling me. I usually counter that I DO own Vega though, so they can't touch me.**

* * *

He was tall, six feet at least, with bright sunshine blond hair, stormy blue-grey eyes, and lean muscles that were just starting to fill out. He had a jagged lightning bolt shaped scar that started on his forehead, ran over his right eye, and ended on his cheek just shy of his jawbone. A heavy black winter jacket trimmed with wild grey fur was slung carelessly over his shoulders, while he was wearing a black long sleeve with a greenish-yellow overshirt, and blue jeans. He smelled like thunderstorms, a sharp tang that reminded me of lightning strikes, and some kind of manly musk. Under it was the unmistakable scent of a dragon lacrima.

I was brought back to the present as Erza snapped her fingers in front of my face, and I shook my head regaining focus. "Who the hell is that?" I asked, looking over at her amused face.

"That," She said, nodding over in the blonde's direction. "Is Laxus Dreyar, the Master's grandson, and a Second Generation-."

"Let me guess," I cut her off, "Lightning Dragon Slayer?" She nodded. "Great, anything else I should know?"

Jellal nodded. "His dad was recently excommunicated, since then he has been moody and depressed." I nodded as he continued. "He's also been a power obsessed jerk."

"Great." I deadpanned.

' _He might be worth the challenge though...'_ I thought. Erik caught my thoughts and looked over at me in alarm.

* * *

"About Laxus," I said, sitting in the Master's office.

"What about him?" Master asked, turning towards me.

"I was told that he was a Dragon Slayer," I thought my words through carefully. "I want to challenge him."

"You do know that he IS an S-Class candidate," Master said. "Right?"

I nodded. "I am well aware, and I know I can take him." Master gave me a look before sighing.

"Well, it is your choice." He said, resigned to the fact that I was going to do this. "I only want you to promise me one thing," He looked at me in a commanding way. "That you won't hurt him too much."

I nodded. "I won't hurt him too badly." I agreed before smirking. "At most, I'll probably dent his pride, and bruise his ego a bit." Master laughed, a smile on his face.

"In that case," He said, still smiling. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do!" I gave him a sharp toothed grin and left his office.

* * *

I could feel everyone's eyes and hear the whispers as I approached him.

"What is she doing?"

"Why him?"

"Is she going to do what I think?"

Erik, Erza, and Jellal smirked as I kept walking.

Smirking, I stopped in front of him. He looked me over, his blue eyes raking over my form. "Laxus, was it?" I asked, offering him my hand. "Heard you were one of the strongest." I offered him my hand, and he took it, smirking at me.

"Vega, right?" He asked. I nodded crossing my arms across my chest, making his smirk widen as he eyed me with appreciation. "Well you've heard right."

"In that case Laxus, will you fight me?" His eyes widened in surprise, but the rest of his face was relaxed. "I wanna compare my strength to yours."

"Just a friendly fight?" He asked.

I shook my head. "All out, no holds barred." I said smirking. "You in?"

Laxus smiled, "Been awhile since I've gone all out." He said. "Alright, I'm in. Terms?"

"First one unconscious looses."

"You're on."


	14. Bets and Fights

****I don't own Fairy Tail, or the Celestial Demons. If I said I did, the Lawyers threatened to unleash the**** ** **ir legion of**** ** **ninja squirrls on me, and trust me, those things are NOT fun. I**** ** _ **can**_** ** **however claim that I own Vega, and that the Celestial Demons belong to**** ** _ **fairytailcrossover.**_**

 ** **But before the story! Review**** ** **Replies**** ** **!****

 ** **To Anime Fan X9000:**** ** _I know she seems overpowered, but remember, she's been training with two_** ** _r_** ** _oyal Dragons, and the Celestial Demon_** ** _K_** ** _ing for the better part of_** ** _a decade._** ** _She's supposed to_** ** _seem stupidly overpowered for now, but that's kind of a side effect of her magic._** ** _Her magic is pretty much a jack of all trades when it comes to Dragon Magic._** ** _She_** ** _'s intellegent_** ** _and_** ** _can_** ** _anticipate her opponent's moves,_** ** _and plan accordingly, in seconds. She also knows her limits and her_** ** _flaws, that's what makes her truly strong and terrifyingly_** ** _efficent._** ** _On top of that, she's a natural Alpha_** ** _Dragon_** ** _, people unconsiouslly look to her for orders_** ** _and she_** ** _ **has**_** ** _to keep getting stronger so that she can hold her position._** ** _Challangeing Laxus is one of the ways she can show off her strength to her new brood. By_** ** _facing off against the strongest, she can gain respect from the older members and establish herself as a potential Alpha can_** ** _n_** ** _idate_** ** _for the future_** ** _._** ** _It's simple when you think about it in animal terms._**

* * *

"20 jewels says Laxus kicks her ass." Cana called out as Laxus and I stepped outside.

"40 says Vega pounds him into the ground, doesn't even break a sweat!" Erik yells.

I smirked as just about everyone bet against me. Jellal, Erza, and Erik were the only ones who seemed certain I would win.

Meanwhile, Laxus and I were squaring off. I purposely kept myself loose, facing him while seeming relaxed. He smirked at me, taking my relaxed stance as weakness. I gave him a sly smile, showing off my fangs as he lunged at me, fists sparking.

"So you're a melee specialist?" I asked, dodging with little effort. "That's good to know." He growled at me, throwing punch after punch as I kept dodging.

He snarled in frustration. "Why won't you fight back?!" He yelled, sparks flying off of him as he steadily grew more frustrated.

I smiled cheekily. "I am." I said simply, dodging under a punch, and jumping over a low kick. "I'm letting you tire yourself out." I back flipped over him as he lunged at me, using him as a spring board and gracefully landing on my feet has he hit the snow covered dirt.

His snarl hit a new pitch as he got up, sparks jumping and crackling all around him. My smile dropped and I watched in curiosity as the discharge gathered around his fist. I raised an eyebrow, watching as he lunged towards me.

 **"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Roaring Thunder!"** He launched himself towards me, releasing a burst of lightning as he punched. I smiled as his fist connected, sending me flying back several feet from the force and kicking up a cloud of steam from the melted snow in the process. Laxus smirked as he turned away. "Guess she didn't have that it takes..."

The crowd cheering him on got silent as the steam around me cleared, showing me standing tall with bits of electricity crackling off me. "I gotta hand it to you Laxus..." I said, grabbing his attention. "That last attack actually hurt."

He whipped around, looking at me in disbelief. "How are you still standing?!" He yelled in shock.

I dusted myself off a bit, grinning at him the entire time. I rolled my shoulders, working out the last sparks before my grin turned sharp. "Now that I've got a good idea of what you can do." I paused, looked down as I coated my hands in sliver energy. I looked back at him, my purple eyes glowing. "It's My turn."

 **"Star Dragon's Meteor Clash!"** I slammed my fists together, sending out a powerful shockwave that sent Laxus sprawling. **"Star Dragon's Astral Kick!"** My right leg lit up with silver energy, and I lunged forward kicking his chest. He was slammed into the ground, creating a small crater.

As he staggered to his feet again, and I smiled as he glared at me. "How?" He growled, staring at me.

I shrugged, my easy going grin still in place. "I'm stronger." I simply said. "And you were too cocky." I added as an afterthought.

He growled, coming at me again with electricity sparking around him. **"Star Dragon's Crushing Fangs."** I was a blurr as I moved, slashing across his chest.

He hit the ground out cold, and I didn't even break a sweat.

Erza and Jellal started cheering, and Erik had a smug grin on his face as people slapped Jewels into his hands.


	15. The Next Seven Years

**I don't own Fairy Tail, nor do I own the Celestial Demons.**

 **Dante, Belladonna, and Chui belong to me though, and the Exceed Kingdom is still franticly searching for three missing Exceed Eggs. (Holds up adoption papers...) They can't touch me though...**

 **Vega and her Dragons also belong to me.**

 **The Black Keys on the other hand belong to _fairytailcrossover,_ and they have threatened me with bodily harm if I dare to claim otherwise...**

 **T** **he** **White Keys however... Well, let's just say you may recognize a few of them when they come into play, and I don't own any of** **the one's you recognize...**

* * *

Those next few years were a blur...

The year was now X784, almost 7 years exactly have passed since the day Draconius, Celestiana, and Igneel had disappeared, and nearly 6 1/2 years since Erik and I had joined the guild. I was approaching my 20th birthday, and Erik, Natsu, and I had planned to spend the day together like we did every year.

A lot had changed in 7 years. We gained and lost new and old guild members;

In X778, Natsu and Erik were out on a bonding mission, when four odd eggs fell out of the sky and hit them on their heads. At first Natsu was excited because he thought they were dragon eggs. That is, until Erik pointed out that dragon eggs had scales, and looked like they were covered in jewels. These eggs were white, and each had a variety of markings on them.

In the end, they decided to bring the eggs back to the guild where they could keep an eye on them. Natsu kept the one that had blue markings, while Erik kept the one with maroon marks. They decided to give me the egg that had royal purple marks, but we really couldn't decide what to do with the last egg, the one with leopard spots. Until Laxus surprisingly volunteered to keep an eye on it.

About four months later, the eggs hatched...

...and they _definitely_ weren't dragons.

For one thing, each one of them resembled a cute little cat with a pair of tiny white wings...

...and they could talk.

Natsu's was male, and had blue fur with a white underbelly, a long white tipped tail, and black eyes. In a bout of rare inspiration, he named his new partner Happy. The little guy could bring a smile to anyone's face, when he wasn't being purposely annoying, or obsessing over fish. He was smart, even when he was putting up the illusion of being a total idiot, and was almost a walking enclopedia of magic once I figured out he loved to read. Happy wasn't very good at any other magic though, unlike the rest of them...

Erik's partner was female and reminded me of a calico with her molted dark maroon, acid green, and shadow black fur. She had soft caring brown eyes that looked like pools of melted chocolate. Erik called her Bella, short for Belladonna, like the poisonous flower. She was interested in Healing from day one, actually she had a natural gift for it, and she wasn't afraid to use it to hurt and heal when ever the situation called for it. She also discovered her secondary ability when she was given a crystal necklace by Dante as a birthday present, Sub-space Magic.

Laxus' was also female, and had light yellow fur with black leopard spots, a white underbelly, and a long tail tipped with black and white. Her eyes were a bright emerald green that sparkled with life even with the scowl that was almost constantly on her face. Around her neck was a green pendant that Dante had given her for their birthday that she never took off. He called her Chui. (Swahili for Leopard, original I know. (Note the sarcasm!)) She was sarcastic and stubborn with a blut personality, something that screamed Earth Magic to me. She dove head-first into learning the perfect counter to Laxus' magic so that she could bitchslap her partner when he was being an ass and not be affected by his lightning. She also had a natual talent for Wild Magic, a special Lost Magic that hadn't been seen in centuries.

Mine was male, and had royal purple fur with an ash grey belly. His eyes were an odd golden yellow, and his withering glare and serious looking face was offset by the huge grin he normally wore. I called him Dante, short for Dauntless, and he certainly lived up to his name with his aggressive nature. He loved blades, and when I caught him watching Erza as she was practicing Swords Magic, I decided to let him start practicing before I gave him a short sword for his birthday later that year. He managed to not only learn the advanced katas that would let him channel elements, but also unlocked his own Duplication Magic while he was at it. Since then, he's been working to obtain the next level, Memory Make Magic.

That same year, Laxus was nominated for the S-Class trials at 17, making him the youngest male S-Class Mage. I also recived two new keys then, and started training to master them.

Aima the Vampire was a pale man with blood red eyes, long black hair that reached the bottom of his neck, and sharp fangs that jutted from his mouth. He wore a red button up shirt with a loose black tie, with black slacks and boots. He practiced blood magic, and loved hand to hand combat. He loved to contract to happy, innocent women, especially those with Type O blood, his favorite, and my actual blood type. But I wasn't all that innocent, so he contracted with me out of respect. We found middle ground though when he discovered my occasionally sadistic side.

Ukobach the Ifrit, was a tall tanned man with short hair that looked like red flames. He was muscular, with armor made from volcanic rock that had cracks filled with molten lava. His bottom half was bare, with the acceptation of a loincloth of actual fire. At his side was a blade made of flames in a volcanic rock sheath. He used fire magic to his greatest ability, and was skilled in the sword arts. He was honorable and just, and loved the damsel in distress act. I **still** hate playing the damsel though, so instead I fight alongside him, which he respects. He and Natsu however, were like two peas in a pod, and they loved to go all out against one another in a fight at least once a month to this day.

Two years later in X780, when Jellal and Erza were 15, and I was 16, all three of us passed the S-Class exams together, granting us the status of S-Class mages.

That was also the year that I recieved my next key.

Semyaza the Fallen Angel, was a man with black hair that fell to his chest, and sharp, angular features with coal black eyes. He wore black pants and boots, and went without a shirt because of the massive black feathered wings that were connected to his shoulder blades. He used sky magic, but was a skilled hand-to-hand fighter as well. Semyaza would work with any woman he deemed pure and beautiful, and he decided to see what the big fuss was about me. Needless to say, he was surprised and pleased with me when he found out I was both beautiful and deadly _._

In X781, Mirajne managed to steal the S-Class title. Also in that year we welcomed Loke into the family. I sensed what he really was the moment he stepped through the doors, and when I confronted him about it, he asked me to keep his secret.

It seemed fitting that I recieved the Dual Key that year too.

Lilith the Succubus was a fair skinned woman with dark red hair that went down to her butt, and matching eyes. She had a serpentine tail and wings, while dark red scales covered everything important. Poking out of her hair were small curved black horns, while red designs ran all over her uncovered skin. She had black cuffs on her wrists, ankles, upper arms, and neck, all of which were decorated with ordinate red designs, while her hands had black claws instead of fingernails. She used a deep red whip as a weapon, and used seduction, suggestion, and glamor magic. Lilith normally worked with men, although she was open to women when she considered them beautiful. She liked me from the get go, and together we managed to work out a massive spy network throughout the country.

Fylo the Incubus was a tall fair skinned man with midnight blue hair just long enough that it fell into his eyes and over his ears, and matching eyes. He had a serpentine tail and wings like Lilith's, and his bare skin was covered in intricate midnight blue designs, except for the midnight blue scales that covered his nether regions. On his wrists, ankles, and neck, were silver cuffs with midnight blue designs. His claws were a silver, as well as his horns. He wielded a midnight blue pitchfork as his weapon, and was highly skilled in seduction, suggestion, and glamor magic. Fylo hated working with men, going so far as to avoid it at all costs, often not even offering his services. He tolerated Erik for my sakes though, and the two of them started getting along fairly quickly once they realized they had a lot in common.

Erik was nominated for the trials two years later (X782) at 16, but sadly he did not make the cut that time as he faced off against Mystogan, who got the title instead. By then, Natsu was almost 15, and he was getting more hot headed every day. Due to the property damage I had to start teaching him restraint, and when he need to think things through instead of jumping straight in. His brash and usually blunt personality still got him into fights with Gray, but that would never change. Those two were a powerful tag team when they actually worked together, but they would always rub each other the wrong way.

That same year, tragedy struck.

Lisanna, dear sweet Lisanna Stratus, whom I almost certain Natsu had a crush on, was declared dead after she disappeared without a trace on a mission. Mirajane and Elfman were crushed at the loss of their sister, and I sympathized with them. I couldn't imagine life without my little brothers...

But a little good news came through...

That was also the same year that the Seven Princes of Hell offered their joint key to me. I was honored becasue, from what I learned of them from the others, all seven were rarely in agreement when it came to potential contractors. The fact that _all seven of them_ were willing to let _**me**_ call on them was a **huge** deal! I was overwhelmed, and they agreed that any time I needed them, they would be there.

The Celestial Demon King also revealed a new set of Keys to me. The White Keys, and told me that it was up to me to gather them together.

hBut in X783, something big happened, that changed my life forever...


	16. Welcome to Fairy Tail Lucy!

**You'll notice pretty quickly that I'm working from the English dub version.**

 **I never have, and I never will own Fairy Tail, or the Celestial Demons.** **But the voices in my head tell me the Celestial Demons belong to** _ **fairytailcrossover.**_ **They also told me that I own Vega, Dante,** **Belladonna, and Chui. Glados told me that I owned the cake too...**

 **Silly Glado** **s...** **the cake is a lie.**

* * *

I sighed and pinched the brim of my nose as the other counsil members around me argued about my youngest brother. Dante was sitting on my shoulder chuckling at my frustration.

Yeah, you heard me right, the Magic Council members.

I was actually in their ranks, as was required by one of the top four Wizard Saints.

I won't tell you which one I am though, my guild mates don't know yet except for Master Makarov even though it's already been a year.

"Those idiots from Fairy Tail have gone and done it again!" One of them complained. "This time they've destroyed an entire port!"

"What is the matter with them?" Another asked.

One of the younger one's scoffed. "I'm actually quite fond of those dimwits and their Lazzi-fair attitude." He admitted.

One of the older members huffed. "They may behave like fools but we mustn't forget, they are also an _extremely_ capable lot." He admitted.

"Yes that's true, they present quite the quandary."

"I think we should leave them be," The member my age said. "After all, if it wasn't for those fools, think of how boring this world would be."

"It would be wise to watch your tone around us Simon." I said, bringing everyone's attention to me and Dante. "Those so called _fools,_ are our guildmates."

"Of course Vega, how foolish of me," Simon apologized. "I had forgotten."

"I believe that covers everything this meeting was for, so we will be taking our leave." I said, stepping off of my platform gracefuly and turning to walk from the chambers as Dante flew alongside me. "We do have a guild that needs us."

"Of course Vega," Gran Doma said. "And try to keep those knuckleheads in line will you?!" He yelled as I started walking away.

"No promises!" I called back. Dante settled back on my shoulders. " **Star Sprint!** " We disappeared in a flash of silver light, heading home where we belonged.

* * *

When I landed at the guild, Dante took to the air again as I pushed open the doors to be greeted with the blessed chaos that was home.

I ducked under flying tables and chairs as I made my way up to the bar, where Mirajane already had a tumbler of my favorite Scotch waiting along with a bit of chicken for Dante. I laughed when I saw Erik throw a glass at his rival Loke, getting the Ex-Spirit to leave behind the ladies and jump into the fight.

I picked it up and downed it in one go, sighing gratefully. "Thanks Mira," I said gratefully, setting the glass down so she could refill it. "You're a lifesaver."

"Anytime Vega." The white haired barmaid said happily. "Rough day at the council meeting?"

"You could say that." Dante said, chomping on his chicken as I downed my drink again.

"Those stuffed up bastards were ripping on our guild again." I sighed. "I could barely restrain myself from tearing into them then and there."

"Well you're home now." Mira said. "Besides, I've heard that Erza should be back soon, and Laxus has been itching for a fight. You know they can always help you relax Vega."

"I'll take that into consideration Mira." I said, lifting my glass.

"Um, Don't you think we should try and stop them or something?" A blond about Natsu's age asked. I didn't recognize her, so she must have been new.

"It's always like this around here," Mira said, shrugging it off. "I just leave them alone. Besides," Just then, Elfman was punched into the bar, slamming into Mira in the process. "It's kinda fun don't you think?" She ground out before falling unconscious. His trajectory knocked my glass out of my hand to shatter on the floor. The guild froze in horror as a dark rage cloud surrounded me and I rose to my feet. Bella joined Dante at the bar, and they both giggled at the misfortune of our guildmates.

"That's it!" I growled. " _ **Nobody messes with my Scotch!"** _ I leapt at Gray and Natsu with a roar, until a chair collided with my head. My eyes lit up silver as I turned and punched Dory. The fight kicked up again even as I dolled out punches left and right

"So loud." I heard Cana complain. "So much for having a drink to relax." She pulled out one of her cards, letting her teal spell circle light up around her. "That's enough guys I suggest that you knock it off!" She said.

"Oh yeah!" Gray challenged, letting his own light blue spell circle surround him. "Says who?!"

Elfman was really getting into it as he lit up his purple spell circle, coating his right arm in grey stone.

Loke twisted his ring, setting off his own green spell circle. "You punks can be such a nuisance." He said dismissively.

"You wanna say that to my face asshole?!" Erik snarled at his rival as red mist began leaking out of his hands

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHO STARTED IT!" I roared, making all of them take an instinctive step back as gold and silver energy swirled up around me. "I'M ENDING THIS NOW!" Alepou and Edafos appeared next me, already up in arms and rearing to go.

Fire swirled up around Natsu, coating his fists. "I'm ready for ya!" He yelled.

"They always fight like this?!" The blond said, holding Happy up like a shield.

"Uha." He affirmed, making the blond freak out even more.

"You don't seem worried!" She squeaked.

"Should we be?" Dante and Bella asked her together.

I giant foot slammed down in the center of us, breaking off our standoff as we froze in silence. "Would you fools stop bickering like children?!" Master's voice growled out.

"He's HUGE!" The blond squeaked in fear.

Everyone didn't dare to move as he looked at all of us. "I'm sorry," Mira said cheerily. "I didn't realize you were still here Master."

The blond freaked out as Natsu started laughing. "Hahahaha! Man talk about a bunch of babies! Looks like I won this round you gu-" My idiotic youngest brother was cut off when Master squashed him underfoot.

"Well seems like we have a new recruit!" Master growled.

The blond flinched. "Yes sir!" She squeaked. Her face was dumbstruck as master started shrinking down to his true form.

Once Master was back to normal, he smiled up at her. "Nice ta meet cha!" He said cheerfully.

I shook my head in amusement, climbing to the second floor as the young blond continued to freak out. I scoped out the S-Class board, looking over all of the jobs, until I spotted something interesting.

A job from a port town over on the west coast specifically asking for a female S-Class. They were offering 20 million jewels to any who could rid their waters of a man snatching Siren. "Looks like you can't come with me for this one Dante." I said, pointing to the request.

"It's alright Vega," He said. "I understand."

I pulled the request off the board and made my way back down. "Hey Mira!" I yelled, grabbing ym best friends attention. "Tell the Master I'm going to be out for about a week! S-Class job on the west coast! Keep an eye on Dante for me will ya?!"

Mira nodded. "Be careful and good luck!" She yelled back.

* * *

 **Third Person POV:**

Lucy watched the black and purple haired woman with curiosity. ' _Where have I seen her before?'_

"Probably on the cover of Sorcerers Magazine." The maroon haired man next to her said. _'Did he just-'_ "Read your mind? Yes I did." He answered smugly. "That was Vega Cosmitella, an S-Class mage, and my older sister."

"That was the Star of Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked.

"Yup." He said matter-of-factly. "Oh, I'm Erik, Erik Cosmitella. I'm a Poison Dragon Slayer, and a Sound Mage."

"Lucy Heartfellia," The blond said happily. "I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage."


	17. Vega goes solo

**Sadly, I will never own Fairy Tail. I'm just borrowing the Celestial Demons from _fairytailcrossover._ But Vega, and this next scene belong to me, as I have never seen Mermaids in Fairy Tail. **

**HA! Take that Lawyers!**

* * *

After a three day train ride, I was ready to call it quits. Motion sickness didn't have as much hold on me as other Dragon Slayers, but it was still uncomfortable during a ride that long.

When I arrived, I immediately asked for directions to the client's home. Looking around, I noticed that most of the population consisted of women and young children, so I wasn't surprised to find out that my client was also female. After I revealed my guild mark, she was more than happy to tell me everything.

"For generations our town has worked in unison with the local mer pod. They help to guild the ships into the ports on stormy days, and rescue drowning sailors when they fall from the boats, and in return the fishermen give them a portion of their catch and the pearl divers left them the best of the oyster beds." Selene, the client, told me over lunch. "But about two months ago, something happened to them. They were not spotted in the water, or on the shores and rocks like they used to be. No longer did they carelessly play and entertain the young children who were learning to swim, or sing along to the musicians who came to the beaches to practice. They almost seemed scared of us when we did see them." She sighed. "Then a month ago, the men started disappearing in the night. Some kind of eerie music is heard every night now, and it draws them to the bay and the shores. Every woman in this town has lost someone, whether it be father, brother, husband, or son and every man that is left, is watched and guarded carefully."

"Definitely sounds like a siren gone bad." I confirmed, shaking my head. "They're notorious for their hypnotic singing, and their preference for the flesh of human males. No wonder the merpeople are scared! If this thing is taking their territory they will want to be as far away from it as possible so they won't take the blame!"

Selena shook her head. "None of us blame the merpeople, we know it's not their fault. They were always our friends, and we trusted them. We just want our families to be whole again! Please," She begged. "Rid our town of this menace!"

I stood up and stretched out, cracking each of my joints. I gave Selena a sharp toothed grin. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't take the job Selena." I said, walking out the door and towards the bay.

* * *

Attracting sirens is easy.

Catching them?

Eh... not so much.

All merpeople are attracted to good music. The better the music the more merpeople appear.

However, only the best musicians attract sirens. Because of their hypnotic voices, good sirens almost always refuse to sing without a good musician. The music of master musician can undermine the hypnotic qualities of a siren's voice.

Bad sirens though, they are attracted to the music _because_ it undermines their abilities. A bad siren will loose their hypnotic abilities and be robbed of their prey if music is played with their singing.

But the one thing a bad siren can't stand, is when the musician is actually a better singer then they are.

How do I know this?

Well... I've helped a few good sirens, and pissed off a lot of bad sirens before...

I stepped down into the water, letting it barely cover my ankles. The townspeople were gathered a good distance away, watching me curiously.

I smiled as they looked at me with wide eyes. _'Might as well give them a show.'_ I thought. "Orchestra of the Celestial Sound Dragon. Voice of the Celestial Sound Dragon..." I whispered. Gold and black colored magic surrounded me as a sound similar to an Orchestra warming up surrounded me. I decided to go with an ancient Dovahkiin song my parents taught me. I held out my arms, like I was conducting, and the sound stopped, like an Orchestra standing at the ready...

(Play: Song of the Dragonborn – Sovngarde Chant by jessismith)

I let myself sway with the waves and the rhythm of the invisible harps as they played. My voice took on an ethereal quality as it echoed out over the water, which calmed as I sang.

 _"Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin,_

 _Naal ok zin los vahriin,_

 _Wah dein vokul mafaeraak ahst vall!_

 _Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod him zindro zaan,_

 _Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal!"_

I started to see heads poke out of the water. Merpeople who had heard my singing, and were probably curious. I smiled, seeing the unabashed curiosity in their eyes.

 _"Huzrah nu,_

 _Kul do od,_

 _Wah aan bok lingrah vod,_

 _Ahrk fin tey,_

 _Boziik fun,_

 _Do fin gein!_

 _Wo lost fron wah ney dov,_

 _Ahrk fin reyliik do jul,_

 _Voth aan suleyk wah ronit faal krein!_

 _Ahrk finzul,_

 _Rok drey kod,_

 _Nau tol morokeu frod,_

 _Rul lot Taazokaan motaad voth kein!"_

The merpeople started singing along wordlessly, humming and voicing the tune.

 _"Sahrot Thu'un,_

 _Med aan tuz,_

 _Vey zeim hokoron pah,_

Ol fin Dovahkiin komeyt ok rein!"

One of the braver mermaids, a young teenage siren I think, started echoing the last line. She went silent as I started the next verse though.

 _"Sahrot Thu'un,_

 _Med aan tuz,_

 _Vey zeim hokoron pah,_

 _Ol fin Dovahkiin komeyt ok rein!"_

One of the braver mermaids, a young teenage siren I think, started echoing the last line. She went silent as I started the next verse though.

 _"Ahrh fin Kel lost prodah,_

 _Do ved viing ko fin krah,_

 _Tol fod zeymah win kein meyz fundein!_

 _Alduin,_

 _Feyn do jun,_

 _Kruziik vokun staadnav,_

 _Voth ann bahlok wah diivon fin lein!"_

Comprehension lit up on the older Mer's faces, like they finally understood what song I was singing. A few of the adults started singing along, surprising me for a moment when they actually knew the Dovah words.

 _"Nuz aan sul,_

 _Fent alok,_

 _Fod fin vul dovah nok,_

 _Fen kos naholt mahfaeraak ahrk ruz!_

 _Paaz Keizaal fen kos stin nol bein Alduin jot,_

 _Dovahjiin Kos fin saviik do muz!"_

I raised my hands, and everything went silent. The mers, the townspeople, and the music stopped as I sang the final verse.

 _"Dovahkiin,_

 _Dovahkiin,_

 _Naal ok zin los vahriin,_

 _Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal!_

 _Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan,_

 _Dovahkiin,_

 _Fah hin kogaan mu draal!"_

A older merman with dark brown and grey hair, and a green tail swam up closer to me. He had a golden trident in his hands as he looked at me critically with his stormy blue eyes. "Many years have gone by since the last time I heard that song be sung by a human." He said, his voice powerful and commanding. "Tell me, how do you know the ancient language young one?" He asked.


	18. The Pod

**I will never own Fairy Tail, nor will I ever own the Celestial Demons. The Celestial Demons belong to _fairytailcrossover._ Meanwhile, Vega and the Mermaids belong to me.**

* * *

"Are you the leader of the pod?" I asked.

He nodded, confirming it. "My name is Tidus, and I have led these mers for nigh on thirty years, since the death of the last Patriarch."

I nodded respectively. "I am Vega Cosmitella, S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail. I'm here by the request of the townspeople." He gave me an almost miniscule smile as I shook his webbed hand.

"It is good to see a mage of your class here." He said. "Especially from the famed guild of the fairies."

"You know of us?" I asked, mildly surprised.

"Even underwater we have heard of the great wizards." Tidus said, a gentle smile on his face. "Many of our kind admire your guild for their morals."

"Good to know that we have allies even under the waves." I said. "Now on to business." Tidus turned deadly serious as he nodded.

"You are here for the rouge sirens I presume?" He asked. I nodded, feeling my eyes turn into their dragon slits. He looked at me curiously for a moment, before glancing at the townspeople. "This would be better explained away from curious ears." He muttered before he handed me a small sliver chain with a silver and gold mermaid pendent that held a black pearl.

When I put on the necklace, light shined around me, until my legs, turned into a tail. With a small shriek of fear, I dove forward, propelling myself into deeper waters before I got beached. Once I was deep enough, I looked down at my new tail, examining my new addition with wide disbelieving eyes.

My legs were replaced by a tail that started at my waist, and as about twice as long as my upper half. It was a dark purple, and had odd jewel-like scales that glowed softly with a heat that I barely felt. The fin at the end was long, and oddly shaped. It had a distinctly reptile look, and had odd bone filiments that were situated regularily between the transparent fins. Sharp spines tipped each of the filiments and it's purple color turned darker and darker until it was pure black at the tips. A small ridge of spines ran down the back of it, following my spine.

Tidus chuckled as he saw me giving a few experimental flicks of my new long tail as I got used to it, until he got a better look at me. "That pendent is supposed to turn you into the mer that matches your magic." He said, swimming around me for a moment. "Deep sea mermaids are revered as one of the rarest mers in the ocean." He looked at me with curious eyes. "They normally stick to the deepest and coldest waters, mainly because of their magical ability to heat their own blood to a boiling point so they can live in the coldest environments. Much like how your dragons can change their own body heat."

"That would make sense." I said, shrugging it off. "I am a Dragon Slayer." Tidus' eyes widened in shock. "I was trained by the Celestial and Star dragons."

"You were the student of Draconius and Celestiana. That," He said slowly. "Would explain a LOT." I just smiled as he started to calm down. "Come," He said. "Our pod's cove is not far from here." He swam by me, and I quickly followed, relying on my new instincts to use my new muscles.

* * *

Tidus and I were seated on a large rock in the middle of the cove, surrounded by the rest of the pod. I looked around, taking in the sight of the youngest mers swimming around and playing on the rocks, while the older ones talked, worked on nets, and cut up fish. It was an amazing sight. "Our pod has held claim to these waters for hundreds of years." Tidus said. "Generations upon generations have occupied the cove that we call home. We have a long standing unspoken agreement with the town. We save the sailors that fall overboard during storms, and guide ships into the port during storms, and on foggy days and nights. In return, the town gives us a portion of the daily catch, and they leave us the best of the oyster beds for our food and pearl hunts." Tidus sighed. "Our people would never do this to the town, but you must understand. Many of the mers have seen the cruelty of humans before, and they are deathly afraid of what could happen if they even suspect we are involved."

I looked up at him with worried eyes. "I know that your pod isn't involved." I assured. "But I would like to know who is."

Tidus closed his eyes. "They call themselves the Coven. They are a group of twelve female sirens of different species, corrupted by their own dark magic. They have been destroying mer pods of all kinds left and right all throughout the seas. Two months ago, they swam into our territory, and swam right into our home cove before claiming it as their own. We tried to fight back, but all of the hunters and warriors were bewitched and under their control in seconds. The younger females, and our own sirens fought back, but were overrun. We were forced to flee. and are now barred from entering our own home because of a dark spell." He looked at me, his stormy blue eyes clouded over with sadness. "Then, a month ago, the Coven decided that our mermen weren't enough and started taking the males from the town."

"One thing confuses me." I said, speaking up. "You said that the warriors and hunters were effected. Why weren't you?" I asked.

Tidus smiled. "Traditionally the leaders of pods have some kind of magic," He explained. "Whether it be weak or powerful depends on the mer." He seemed slightly proud. "Mine is rare even among humans. Nullify Magic." His eyes turned sad. "But even with my own magic, it wasn't enough to protect my brothers."

"You were able to break their hold over you!" I said in awe.

"That is becoming a coward." He said dejectedly

"That is called courage!" I said. "That is called stepping up as a leader!" I clarified. "You got the innocents of your pod to safety, the females and children who couldn't fight away from harm! If you hadn't done that, the Coven would have killed them all!"

"And what is so brave about that?" Tidus asked, clutching his trident as his knuckles turned white.

I scoffed. "A brave leader, isn't afraid to make the hard choices." I looked into his eyes. "A good leader, doesn't allow the safety of the many, outweigh the sacrifice of the few." My eyes softened at the grief in his. "A GREAT leader though, has the courage to admit he is not strong enough, run, and live to fight another day with reinforcements." I smiled viciously, my fangs jutting out slightly. "The Coven will answer for their crimes against Mer Kind, and Man Kind. You will get your home back Tidus. I will make sure of it." He smiled at me.

"The cove is north of the port." Tidus informed me as I dove into the water again. "You will be able to feel the dark magic in the water when you approach the mouth of it."

"Thank you for your help Tidus." I said, swimming off at full speed.


	19. The Coven

**I don't own Fairy Tail, or the Celestial Demons. If I owned Fairy Tail, Lucy probably wouldn't be a stariotypical blond, and Natsu would probably be more animalistic. The Celestial Demons belong to _fairytailcrossover,_ and those who claim otherwise an talk to the hand. Vega and the mermaids are mine though.**

* * *

Tidus wasn't kidding about the dark magic.

As I got closer and closer to the cove, the water felt like oil over my skin and scales. When I saw the entrance, I immediately hid behind some rocks.

Guarding the mouth of the cove was a pair of Mermen. Both of them held wicked sharp swords with black hilts, and both had black tails and glazed eyes.

Sure signs of dark mind magic at work.

With that in mind, I got a sly idea. Resort to old proven tactics.

I picked up a good sized rock, and threw it as hard as I could away from me. The Mermen snapped to attention and took off towards the sound, leaving the entrance wide open.

Giggling, I swam forwards, sticking to the shadows as the mermen scrambled like headless chickens.

I raced through the cove, weaving in and out of rocks as I swam...

...Until I got a better look around me.

It was beautiful.

It looked like an entire city, built from generations of hard work and love. Tall arches and countless windows opened to allow the water to flow freely. Brazers glowed with with what I assumed were enchanted pearls. Colorful corals grew everywhere on every surface, besides a few spots that i could tell were delibretly cleared. I could see why the mer's wanted their home back, and why the sirens had decided to take it.

I could see and sense roughly a hundred mermen all around me, but all of them were too heavily enchanted to notice a lone mermaid hidden in the shadows. As long as I stayed quiet, and didn't draw attention to myself, I would be alright.

All the while, this odd melody was ringing through the water, and I could sense the dark magic that pulsed every time it was repeated.

I continued to dodge the patrols, carefully making my way through the city and into the palace.

The inside of the palace was coated in mother-of-pearl, and shone with a golden hue that was mystifying. But it was all ruined by the ones who were swimming around it.

They were exactly like Tidus described. Twelve mermaids, all of different species, all with pitch black tails. The water around them looked like oil from the dark magic they were leaking, and it tainted everything it touched.

I had seen worse, so I was unimpressed.

"So," I said, swimming out into the open. "You guys are the Coven." It wasn't a question.

The one nearest to me looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "A deep-sea mer? What is one of your kind doing here?"

"Oh I'm here by request of the local pod." I said, looking at my nails like they were more interesting then the sirens, who were getting slightly annoyed with me. "They asked me to come and _take care_ of the idiots who thought they could move in."

"Your aura is different from a normal mer." One further back mused. "It is more alike those of the land. You are not a true mermaid."

"You're right." I said with a shrug. "I am a mage." My hand started to glow gold and silver as I began projecting my own energy. The Sirens rose together, glaring at me as my magic began to counteract the effects of their dark magic. I pulled out one of my keys. **"Open Gate of the Hydrus, Hydra!"**

They eyed the giant sea serpent warily as I shot them a sharp toothed grin, and they lunge forwards, snarling and hissing at me. **"Star Dragon's Meteor Fist!"** The first two were sent flying into the walls of the throne room, where they left decent sized craters. Hydra slammed her tail into two more of them. The others pulled back, circling me warily as I kept my guard up. After they shook of the damage, the other four joined the ranks. "Aww," I taunted. "Are the little guppies afwad of little old me?" I chucked when they hissed at me again. "Good." My fists lit up with silver. " **Star Dragon's Crushing Fangs!"** Four of them were knocked through the throne room doors, and I swam after them quickly, with the other eight close on my tail. Hydra lazily swam behind us, warding off the still enchanted mermen with a few well placed water barriers.

"You know," I questioned, my tail starting to shine silver. "For a bunch of mers with incredible hypnotizing powers, you guys suck at fighting! **Star Dragon's Comet Tail!"** I slammed into the nearest siren, and ricocheted off of her into the next, and kept rolling with it until I hit all twelve.

Surprisingly they were all still conscious when I released the magic. "But I'll be damned if you guys can't take a punch..." I muttered. They all glared at me as I cracked my neck. "Guess I have to break out the big guns then." I raised my hands, channeling my magic as I began to chant.

 _"For they are all around us_

 _Appearing with the moonrise_

 _Disappearing with the sunrise_

 _But never truly gone._

 **Dragon Slayer's Secret Art! Yellow Dwarf: Super Nova!"**

Boiling hot water flared out from me in a wave, smashing into the Sirens in a devastating attack and knocking them unconscious. The mermen all around me cheered as they snapped out of it. The human men that had been transformed were rushed to the surface as they began changing back. A few of the mermen tossed nets onto the sirens, binding and gaging them so they couldn't use their voices. Hydra grabbed the nets in her mouths, swimming away with the guards, apparently to lock them away.

With a smile, I swam up, breaking through the surface with a smile. The Pod crowded around me, cheering and thanking me for everything. As I got closer to the shore, the magic of the necklace started wearing off until I was walking out of the water again. The townspeople cheered and hugged me as I walked through the harbor.

Tidus swam up to the dock along with the other Mermen. "Thank you." He said. "Because of you we have our home back."

"It was no trouble at all." I said, giving them a smile. "It's anything a good Fairy Tail mage would do." I went to take off the necklace, but Tidus stopped me.

"None the less," Tidus said. "You have proven yourself as an ally of our pod." He smiled at me, along with the rest of the pod. "Keep the necklace, as a gift and as a reminder that you will always have friends under the waves."

"Thank you Tidus." I said, grabbing it. "I will always treasure it."

I turned to Selene, and she smiled at me as she stood hand in hand with a dark haired man. "Thank you Vega." She said. "You have fulfilled the terms of my job request." She handed me a few stacks of Jewel, which I gladly accepted.

"Anything to help out the people." I said as I leafed through it, counting it all. "I guess it's time to head home then. It was nice meeting you all!" I called out as I started walking away with a smile...

...That is, until I looked at the train again.


	20. The Wizards in Armor and the Heavens

**I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, then Jellal never would have given in to the darkside, and he and Erza would have been together from episode one. I don't own the Celestial Demons either, they belong to _fairytailcrossover._ Vega belongs to me though, as do Dante, Bella, and her dragons. And they will continue to belong to me for the foreseeable future.**

 **I love you guys, really, I do. But I'm twenty chapters in, and there's only 7 reveiws? I'm disappointed...**

* * *

The train ride back was just as bad, if not worse, than the train ride out.

Thankfully, I wasn't alone for the full three days.

Around noon on the second day I was joined by Erza and Jellal, who were heading back to the guild after finishing a monster hunting job.

"Ah," I sighed, stretching out on my seat. "I can't wait to get off this damn train and go home!"

Erza smiled at me. "I know." She said. "It feels like forever since we left." Her eyes turned into stars. "I can't wait to taste the strawberry cake again!"

Jellal rolled his eyes with an exasperated smile. "You and your cake Erza." He sighed. "Sometimes I could swear you love that cake more than you love me!"

Erza blushed before she kissed Jellal on the cheek. "You know that's not true Jellal." She said as his face turned red.

I smirked and sat up. "So you finally got the courage to confess Jellal?" His red face turned ten shades darker as he looked anywhere except towards me. "Good for you man! I knew that you'd do it eventually!"

Let me clue you in, a couple months ago when we were out on a S-class job, Jellal told me that he'd been in love with Erza for awhile, but whenever he tried to tell her, he got interrupted. I suggested that he take Erza on a two person job, and on the ride back, confess. Looks like he took my advice.

"Well, actually-" He started...

"I confessed to him." Erza stated bluntly. I snickered at their faces.

"Well in any case I'm happy for you guys." I said, laying back again. I promptly fell asleep as the two of them cuddled closer.

* * *

The next day, we got off at Magnolia Station. Erza and Jellal stopped by the luggage cart to pick up one of their trophies.

I raised an eyebrow at the giant decorated horn that Erza promptly slung onto her back, and shook my head at the cart of luggage that Jellal was pulling. The three of us started walking down the street towards the guild, and the people around us started to whisper in excitement and curiosity.

Until I heard a scared yelp, and saw Loke full on sprinting towards the Guild Hall.

* * *

 **Erik's POV:**

Loke slammed open the door. "We've got bad news!" He yelped, sounding panicked. "It's Erza! She's on her way here!"

Everyone else promptly started panicking. "Wow," Lucy said, watching them. "Just mention Erza and the whole place freaks out..."

"Well she is the second strongest female wizard we've got in fairy tail." Mira explained. "More than a bit intimidating..."

"Yeah," Lucy said. "Wait, SECOND strongest?" She questioned. "Then who's the first?"

"You've already met her," I said. "Vega Cosmitella." Lucy's eyes went wide as the sound of three sets of footsteps grew closer.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

Erza walked in, gigantic decorated horn on her back, while Jellal and I trailed behind her.

She set it down with a crash, shaking the Guild Hall a bit. "I have returned!" She announced, standing tall and proud. "Where is Master Makarov?"

"Welcome back Erza!" Mira said, just as cheerful as ever. "The Master's at a conference right now."

"I see." She said.

"So um, what's that humungous thing you've got there?" Max Alors, one of the weaker Guild Members asked.

"It's the horn of a monster that Jellal and I defeated." She said nonchalantly. "The locals were so thankful that they decorated and gave it to us as a souvenir." She turned her sharp glare towards them. "Do you have a problem with it?"

"No not at all!" They defended.

"Hey guys!" I called out cheerfully as Jellal smiled.

"Hey Vega, hey Jellal!" They yelled back, temporarily distracted from their fear. Jellal gave a low chuckle as we moved over to the bar to watch the show. Mira set a glass of Scotch in front of me as Dante landed on my shoulder.

"Hey Vega!" He said cheerfully. "How did the Siren job go?"

I started rubbing his ears as I shrugged. "It was easier then I thought it would be, but I did get a new treasure out of it along with the reward."

"Really? Something else to add to the trophy room?" He asked, looking over me curiously.

"Can I see it?" He asked excitedly.

"Maybe later Dante." I said, letting my eyes settle back on the Guild as I relaxed.

"Vega, Natsu, Grey, Erik, I need the four of you to do Jellal and I a favor." The three of us looked to her, giving out undivided attention. "While traveling Jellal and I overheard something that has me worried. Normally I would consult with the Master before acting, but he's not here and this is a matter of utmost urgency." She turned to the boys. "The three of you are the strongest wizards here, Jellal and I have already discussed this at length, but we could really use your help." She turned to me then. "Vega, I know and understand your stance on teams, but we need someone with your kind of experience to deal with this."

Whispers of disbelief erupted all around us as I nodded in acceptance. "The five of you might become the one of the strongest teams, but I'm an SSS-Class Mage. You'll need to do it without my help. I'll go with you on this one guys, but only because you asked nicely. But if this takes a turn for the worst, I will take the lead."

"Good." She said, giving me a small smile. "We'll meet at the train station at first light. Be ready."


	21. Magnolia Train Station

**If I owned Fairy Tail, you would know. Cause if I was writing it, Gray would probably be have a girl by now. The Celestial Demons don't belong to me though, at least, the Black Keys don't. They belong to _fairytailcrossover._**

* * *

The next morning, Erik, Bella, Dante, and I made our way down to the station. Natsu and Gray were already there (already lunging for one another's throats,) and to my surprise so was the newbie, Lucy.

She was sitting on a nearby bench, trying to ignore the two knuckle heads while her spirit Plu sat in her lap, and Happy sat next to her, munching on a fish.

Erik sat down next to her, chuckling slightly as my eye twitched from the two idiots. Bella and Dante sat next to Happy, Dante pulling out a chicken leg to snack on while Bella fiddled with the pink belladonna flower behind her ear.

Natsu finally started growling in impatience. "I hate this! Teaming up with you is the worst idea ever!" Red fire sparked up around him.

"Yeah tell me about it! Erza made a huge mistake askin' a looser like you ta come along!" Gray snarled back blue ice fire igniting around him.

"Fine then!" Natsu snapped. "Why don't you just take care of it yourself! I don't wanna go anyway!"

Gray got right up in his face. "Sounds like a plan to me! Then I'll get to watch her beat you senseless!"

Lucy sighed. "Let's just sit here and pretend we don't know them..."

"What made you decide to come with us?" Happy mumbled around his fish.

"Mira asked me to come along, she said that she wanted me to try and keep the peace." Lucy replied.

"Good decision." Erik said, nodding in approval. "Mira is definatly one of the people you don't want to piss off at the Guild."

Lucy looked at my brother in confusion.

"She may not look like it," Erik said, no doubly hearing her thoughts. "But Mira was one of the few people that can go toe to toe with Erza and hold her ground."

"Yeah!" Bella mewled as she jumped onto Erik's shoulder. "Mira was one of the strongest members of the Guild before she stopped using her magic. They called her the 'She Demon' when she fought."

It was at that point I got so annoyed that I stalked towards the boys and flared my own magic. Natsu and Gray started sweating as silver and gold energy sparked off of me. "Fight on your own time boys," I growled. "This is a mission, I don't know how you both worked before, but I will **not** tolerate any conflict within my own team." My eyes narrowed into slits as they flinched away. " **Understand**?!" Both of them nodded franticly as I turned away.

"Sorry we're late!" Erza called out, making the boys freeze. "Have you been waiting long?"

"No not really," Lucy said, turning to look and freezing in shock.

Erza was pulling a large cart filled with luggage, while Jellal stood beside her with a small backpack on his shoulder.

Gray and Natsu started acting all buddy buddy again as Erza looked their way. "All those belong to you?!" Lucy cried out in shock.

I shook my head in amusement as Jellal came to stand beside me and Erik. "Did she really have to bring that big cart again?" I asked him.

He nodded. "She insisted, and you know Erza when she's set on something..." He trailed off as Erik and I shivered.

Let me explain, Erza when she is being stubborn, is like a brick wall. A wall that isn't afraid to kick your ass to make you see it's way.

I shook my head in laughter as Erza started questioning Lucy, while Gray and Natsu started glaring at each other again behind her back.

"Hey Erza!" Natsu said, drawing our attention. "I'll come with you but only under one condition."

Gray had a startled look on his face. "Shut up!" He whispered.

"Oh?" Erza questioned, look at him in apprehension. "Well than let's hear it."

"Kay," Natsu looked determined as his face split into a fanged grin, and he raised his fist. "I wanna rematch when we get back to Fairy Tail!"

"What's wrong with you?!" Gray said, putting a hand on his shoulder like he was going to hold Natsu back. "You got a death wish?!"

"I'm a lot stronger now than I was last time," Natsu continued on, as if he hadn't heard Gray. "This time 'ill be way different. Cause I'm gonna beat you!"

Erza just let out a chuckled. "Yes I can tell you've improved." She said, looking him up and down with an appraising eye. "As to whether or not you can beat me, I suppose we'll have to see. I accept your challenge."

Natsu's fire started sparking all around him as he got excited. "OH YEAH!" He yelled. "I'M FIRED UP!"


	22. Lullaby

**I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did then Vega would have been a cannon character, and all of the Exceeds would have been able to do a secondary type of magic. Vega, Dante, Bella, and any other characters that aren't familiar are mine. The Celestial Demons don't belong to me however.**

 **I really do like hearing back from you guys, so please drop a review!**

* * *

"I swear," Gray sighed, leaning on his hand. "You're totally pathetic Natsu."

Natsu didn't answer, being too busy dealing with his motion sickness.

"One minute you're pickin' a fight, and the next you're like this."

"It's gotta be tough on him, getting from place to place." Lucy commented.

"It's something all Dragon Slayers have to deal with," Erik said, looking a little green himself. "We all get some degree of motion sickness." I nodded, not trusting myself to speak for the moment. Erik nodded at me, "Vega will be alright after about an hour. She just gets used to it. I'm a little different, my magic rapidly adjusts to it over time. I'll be fine in a few minutes." Lucy nodded at him with a smile then looked back at Natsu with worried eyes.

"Don't worry," Erza assured, seeing her look. "He'll be fine." She smiled at Natsu. "Come here and sit with me Natsu." Jellal hid a smile as Lucy and Natsu switched seats so that Natsu was sitting on the other side of Erza and Erik let out a bark of laughter when Erza punched Natsu in the stomach hard enough to knock him out. "There," Erza said. "That should make the trip a little easier on him."

"Erza," Gray said, drawing our attention to him. "I think it's about time you started filling us in. I mean, what kinda mission are we going on here?"

"Of course." Erza said, getting serious in seconds. "I have reason to believe that the Dark Guild Eisenwald is planning something big. I'm not sure what exactly, but it has to do with a magic item called Lullaby."

"Lullaby?" Gray, Lucy, Erik, Bella, and Happy asked in unison.

"Wait that thing from before?" Lucy asked.

"Lullaby huh?" I said, "I haven't heard that name in a long time..."

"You know about it Vega?" Erza asked. I nodded.

"I remember Draconius and Celestiana telling me about it once years ago." I said, making them look at me as I got sereious. "If this is the same Lullaby they told me about, then you guys are _way_ out of your depth Erza."

"What is it exactly?" Jellal asked. "If this has you worried, then it's got to be dangerous."

I shook my head. "I'm not making any more assumptions until I get a good look at the damn thing." I looked back at Erza. "How did you hear about it?" I asked.

Erza shook her head. "Let me start from the beginning. Just the other day, Jellal and I were heading home after completing a job, when we stopped by a pub in Onibas that we knew was a gatherring spot for local wizards."

Jellal smirked. "We overheard a group of wizards talking about how they found Lullaby, but were unable to use it beause of a seal. One of them told the others to relax, and said that he would be back with Lullaby three days from then."

"Lullaby?" Lucy asked, inqureged. "That's like a song you use to sing kids to sleep."

Erza nodded. "Yes, and the fact that it was sealed away means that it must be very powerful magic."

"You're sure that the guys you saw at the pub were with Eisenwald?" Gray asked.

"Yes." She said. "I can't believe we were so foolish that day." Erza's face turned dark.

Jellal mirrored her look. "We didn't recognize his name. Erigor, the ace of Eisenwald, the man who only accepts assasination requests. Which is why he earned the name Erigor the Reaper."

"He kills for money?!" Lucy gasped. Erza nodded.

"When the council outlawed assasination requests, Eisenwald decided that money was more important than the council's rules. As a result they were kicked out of their wizard league six years ago."

"But that didn't stop them." Jellal continued looking grim. "They've disobeyed orders and remain active to this day."

"Ok!" Lucy said, sweating from nervousness. "I should be heading back home now!"

Erza slammed her hand down, forgetting about Natsu. "How could I have been so careless?!" She said. "If only I had recognized Erigor's name that day I could have pulverized them! I could have forced them to reveal their sceam to us!"

Jellal looked down as well. "Erza, this is on my shoulders too." He said. "We're S-Class wizards, we should have known. What with the amount of time I spend studying Dark Guilds and their members, I should have recognized them right away."

"There's no point in beating yourselves up." I said, making them look at me. "What's done is done, and we can't change it now." I soothed before siting up straight, all gentleness gone. "The best we can do is to track down Kage, and intercept him and Lullaby before he gets to his destination. If we can do that, then we can hopefully try and defuse the enchantments on the artifact itself, or destroy it if absolutely nesssicary." They all nodded in agreement with my plan. "Erza, Jellal," They looked at me. "Fill us in, what kind of mages are we up against?"

"Kageyama is his full name, and he is a Shadow Magic user, and a Dispeller. He can undo magical seals with ease from years of training, and dispell magic of intermediate strength." Jellal said, looking grim. "I think that everyone here would have a decent chance against him, but the one I'm more worried about is Erigor."

Erza nodded in agreement. "Erigor is recognized as a Master Wind Mage. That means that he can use the very air around us as a weapon in addition to his signature scythe. In addition to that, he can use his wind magic to speed himself up and guard against other attacks." She had a grim, but thoughful, look on her face. "If it came down to it, I think Jellal, Vega, or I might be able to handle him."

"That's a big might though." Erik said, resting his chin on his hand thoughfully. "If Erigor does get his hands on Lullaby," He looked over at me. "Then you might be the only one that can fight him, and possibly win."

"And even then," I said, tilting my head back to look at the ceiling. "If that artifact IS the Lullaby I'm thinking of," I looked back down, letting my eyes meet my brothers.

 _"...I might just loose."_


	23. Train Antics

**I don't own Fairy Tail, or the Celestial Demons. If I did, you would know. The Black Keys belong to _fairytailcrossover,_ and you'll probably recognize a few of the White Keys as time goes by. I DO however own Vega, Dante, Belladonna, and anything you don't recognize from the anime.**

 **Veronica: True dat!**

 **Get back in your own story Veronica!**

 **Veronica: But I'm bored over there! And Siax said I couldn't cause chaos inside the castle anymore!**

 **I don't care! This isn't your time to shine! You don't want a repeat of the Chicken Incident do you? Cause I can make that happen!**

 **Veronica: (Crying anime tears) NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT LUNATIC AND HIS FAMILY!**

* * *

"So if I've got this," Gray asked. "Eisenwald's planning to do something with this Lullaby, and you guys wanna stop em, because after what you overheard you're sure that it's gonna be something bad?"

"That's correct," Erza said seriously.

"And we're not foolish enough to think we can take on an entire Magical Guild all by ourselves." Jellal interjected."That's why Erza proposed we ask you, Natsu, Erik, and Vega for help."

"We're storming the Eisenwald Guild." Erza said.

"Sounds like fun to me!" Erik said, his maroon eyes glinting in anticipation as Gray nodded in agreement.

"Aye!" Happy said enthusiastically.

"I shouldn't have come along…" Lucy said nervously, shaking and sweating.

"Don't worry Lucy." Dante assured. "Bella and I will make sure that nothing bad happens to you."

"Got that right." Bella said, messing with the gold ring on her tail as she smiled at the Celestial Spirit Mage. "Dante knows swords magic, nd i've been working on my own style, so we'll be able to protect you if things get too hairy."

Dante nodded, putting a paw on the sword at his belt. "You can count on us Lucy." He said seriously.

Lucy smiled gratefully. "Thanks guys.

"If you don't mind," Lucy asked sometime after we stopped for lunch. "What kind of magic do you practice Erza?"

"That's a good question," Erza said.

"Erza's magic is really pretty!' Happy piped up, munching on his fish. "She makes her enemies bleed! A lot!" I had to hold back a laugh as Lucy looked disturbed.

"I don't know if I'd call that pretty..." She said nervously.

"Personally I think Jellal, Vega, or Gray's magic is much more beautiful than mine." Erza said as she bit into her dessert, a hunk of her favorite strawberry cake.

"Oh," Gray said, putting his fists together. "You mean like this?" His fists lit up with his blue magic circle, before steam surrounded us. When he lifted his hand away, a perfect replica of Fairy Tail's mark sat in the palm of his hand. Lucy's face lit jup with a smile. "I use Ice Make Magic." Gray explained, manipulating the replica over to Lucy.

"Now I understand why you and Natsu don't get along!" Lucy said. "He's fire, and you're ice! Talk about not mixing very well!"

"I never though about that..." Erza said thoughtfully.

"It does make sense." Jellal admitted.

"Nah, I just hate his guts." Gray admitted.

"Oh," Lucy said, before turning to the rest of us. "What's your guys' magic like?" She asked me and Jellal.

"My magic is kind of, destructive, in small places." Jellal admitted sheepishly. "I use Heavenly Body Magic." He said. "So the Master forbade me from using it in enclosed spaces. Last time I did," He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I kinda caused a LOT of damage."

I smiled as he looked nervous. "Thankfully I'm better suited for small spaces." I said, drawing the blonde's attention as I lit my hand up with Star Energy. "I use Star Dragon Slayer Magic," The energy turned gold as Lucy watched with wide eyes. "And Celestial Dragon Slayer Magic."

"Wow," She said, watching with wide eyes. "Wait," She said. "Does this mean that your dad, Draco, was a dragon too?"

I nodded. "Both of my adoptive parents were. Celestiana, the Star Dragon Queen, and Draconius, the first Earthland Dragon." I explained.

"Earthland Dragon?" Erik asked. "I never heard that."

"It's true," I said. "Draco was the first Dragon, a Celestial Dragon that formed from the residual energy that was released when the Celestial World came into being at the beginning of time. His mate, and our mom, Celestiana, was a Star Dragon that came to Earthland from another star system after she heard that another Dragon had formed on a distant world." I smirked. "Mom said they fell in love a first sight, and never looked back." I smiled. "Technically, all of the other Dragons are our family by adoption." I said, chuckling slightly at their gobsmacked faces. "Which makes Natsu our nephew in a weird way."

"I had no idea that Dragon Slayers were so complicated and dynamic." Lucy remarked.

I shook my head in amusement. "Dragon Slayers are a lot more complicated than that Lucy." I said as the train pulled to a stop and we got up. "Remind me to explain more after this job."

"Alright then." Lucy said as we pulled our bags off the rack and disembarked.

"You think the Eisenwald guys are still gonna be in this town?" Gray asked as we started moving away.

"I have no idea." Erza answered as she tugged her cart. "That's what we're here to find out."

"I'm still thinking maybe I should go home." Lucy said uncertainly.

"Hold on," Happy said, looking around. "Where's Natsu?"

"OH SHIT!" We yelled in shock.


	24. Taking Charge

**I don't own Fairy Tail, the Celestial Demons, or Black Butler. Fairy Tail belongs to whoever it belongs to, the Black Keys belong to _fairytailcrossover,_ and Sebastian belongs to Black Butler.**

 **This chapter we get our first glimpse at a White Key, and at how Vega can act when she's in charge.**

* * *

"Damn it!" I yelled as everyone else started panicking. "How did I forget him?!" Silently cursing myself.

Suddenly a dark aura flared up in the direction of the train. It was fading fast, and the only explanation was that it was ON the train.

"That's it," I said, going serious in an instant. "Erza! Jellal!" I barked, snapping them to attention in an instant. Erik met my eyes for a moment before he understood. "From here on out this mission is under my jurisdiction, understand?"

"Yes Vega!" They said. Lucy looked at me with wide surprised eyes as I quickly took command.

"As the only one with a long distance traveling spell, I will catch up with the train and retrieve Natsu. Erik, Grey." They looked at me. "Go with Erza and secure transportation, the faster the vehicle the better." They nodded and took off as I turned to Jellal and Lucy. "I need the two of you to go and inform the station master that we have a possible code seven, illegal dark artifact transportation, on the recently departed train."

"Right." They said, sprinting towards the information deck as I turned to Dante, Bella, and Happy. "The three of you guard the luggage. The last thing we need is someone rooting through our stuff while we're gone." The exceeds didn't look all that happy with my orders, but they obeyed. "Tell the others to load up and follow as soon as they come back." I told Dante. He nodded, his paw on his sword as he stood at attention.

I took off towards the end of the platform, getting the running start I needed. " **Star S** **print** **.** " My body dissolved into silver energy and sped up significantly as I raced towards the train.

By the time I got to the train, the dark aura had increased, and Natsu was fighting again.

I could tell because one of the train cars exploded as soon as I touched down.

Shadows and fire streamed out, shaking the stopped train. I pulled out a White Key, and lifted it up. " **Open! Gate of the Crow! Sebastian!"** He appeared in a flash of dark light and the sound of a bell. Sebastian was a black haired, red eyed man dressed in an impeccable black suit. (Think, Sebastian from Black Butler.)

"How may I help you my lady?" He asked.

"I need you to contain the shadows that Kage is giving off, while I contain the fire." I ordered. "We also need to find the dark artifact and contain or destroy it."

"Yes my lady." He said, leaping forwards and latching onto the shadows. With surprising strength he dragged the shadows up and out of the way, seeming to absorb them as I worked to put out the fires.

" **Roar of the Celestial Water Dragon!"** I sent a wave of pure water crashing down, putting out all of the flames at once.

Occupied, I failed to notice that the train started moving again until it was a good distance away.

"Vega!"

Erik's voice caught my attention as a Magic Mobile raced towards me. Gray and Erik were holding on to the top as Jellal and Lucy's heads were poking out of the sides. Erza was behind the wheel. He held out a hand and I grabbed it, swinging myself onto the fast moving vehicle as they roared by. "Nice catch." I complemented. Erik smiled at me, and kept hanging on as we raced faster.

We were even with the train when Natsu was blasted through the window and flew back to hit Erik and Gray, knocking them off the Mobile.

Erza jerked us to a stop, and we all got out to see if they were okay.

"Are you three alright?" I asked, concerned.

"That hurt you idiot!" Gray snapped, leaping to his feet.

"Shut up you icy freak!" Natsu snapped back. "How come you guys left me on the train?!" He asked angrily.

"I'm just glad that you weren't badly injured." Erza said. "I apologize Natsu." She said, slamming his head to her chest plate in the semblance of a hug.

"It's okay." Natsu quickly forgave. "Well I'm shaken pretty bad." He admitted. "I got attacked by a weirdo on the train."

"Are you serious?" Lucy asked.

"I think it's dude that dragged away the guys who were gonna eat Happy." He stated thoughtfully. "Said he was with Esienwald."

"YOU FOOL!" Erza yelled, sending his sprawling with a slap. "That was exactly who we were chasing after on this mission! Why did you let him get away?!"

"What the?" Natsu said, rubbing his face on confusion. "This is the first I've heard about it!" We all sweat dropped as Erza and Natsu continued to butt heads.

"She already forgot that she knocked him out, didn't she?" Lucy asked, exasperated. "This woman is unbelievable."

"Yup." Gray agreed.

"Erza!" I said. "That's enough." Their attention snapped to me. "Natsu," I turned to my surrogate little brother. "Tell me everything."

* * *

"So," Erza said, snapping the Magic Mobile's cuff back on her wrist. "He was on the same train we were on."

"It seems so." Jellal agreed, hooking the secondary cuff to himself. "Lets go find him." They started warming up the mobile again.

"Well what was this guy like?" Gray asked.

"He didn't look like somebody from a dark guild." Natsu said thoughtfully. "But he did have this strange flute thing." My eyes widened as my ears perked up. "It looked like a skull, except it had three eyes."

"A three eyed skull?" Lucy asked contemplatively.

"That's creepy." Gray said.

"But oddly familiar." Erik said.

I closed my eyes as I pictured it in my mind. "No doubt about it." I said. They looked at me. "That was the legendary Lullaby, The Cursed Song. It's powerful Death Magic."

They all looked at me, startled. "What?" Natsu asked.

"A cursed song?" Gray questioned. "Like an incantation?"

"I've only ever read about it in books before." Lucy admitted. "But there are some deadly spells out there that are forbidden to be used by wizards."

"You're right," Erza agreed. "There are cursed black magic spells that will kill the person they are used on."

"I've heard horror stories about it's use." I said darkly. "Death Magic is right up at the top of the list of forbidden magic. It's use is a highly punishable crime by the laws of the Magic Council." I explained. They all looked at me with worried eyes. "And if that flute IS Lullaby, then we are wasting precious time." I looked at them. "Load up, we're going after them!"

Of course, I regretted that as soon as we were on the road again. Eric, Gray and I were hanging on for dear life as Erza raced down the road.


	25. Makarov's Undoing

**I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, the Makarov wouldn't be such a perv. I don't own the Demons of the Black Keys either, they belong to _fariytailcrossover._ Vega, Dante, and Bella however do belong to me.**

* * *

 **Clover: Guild Master Confrence Hall**

 **Third Person's POV:**

The confrence was in full swing as the various Guild Masters mingled and discussed their Guilds.

"I'm jealous Macky!" The Master Bob, leader of the Blue Pegasus Guild said. "Your wizards are full of life and they're such cuties!" Master Bob was an, _odd_ , man to say the least. He didn't act like a man, and he looked like a _very_ ugly woman. Most people when they saw him, would normally question their or his sanity. Even so, he was a powerful Wizard, and his Guild looked to him with unquestionable respect.

"I hear you've got a girl that gave some big shot quite the spanking." He said.

"Oh, you must be talking about Lucy." Makarov said, looking up from his meal. His cheeks were already pink from the alcohol. "Yeah, she's our newest recruit, and she's got got a body that won't quit!"

The other Guild Masters sweatdropped at his statement. Makarov was reknowned for his power, and his pervyness. "Oh so naughty!" Bob commented, hiding his face.

"I wouldn't be joking around if I were you Makarov." Another Master commented. Master Goldmine, the Master of Quatro Cerberus, turned around with a cabob in his hand. "Your Wizards may be spirited, but you've got to admit they go overboard sometimes. Some of the council members are worried that Fairy Tail is going to end up destroying an entire city one of these days." He sighed. "Can't say that I blame them."

"Ah let those blowhards worry," Makarov said dissmissing it. "What do I care! They're just jealous my Wizards are hot!"

"Oh Makcy." Bob scolded jokingly. "You shouldn't talk about your Wizards that way, you're such a scoundral!"

"Master Makarov! Master Makarov!" A messenger bird flew into the hall, carrying a letter. "I have a letter from Miss Mirajane sir!"

"Ah, thanks a lot!" Makarov said, taking the letter.

"No problem!" The bird chirped, flying off.

Makarov ran a finger around the seal, activating the magic.

A light blue magic circle sprang up, displaying the image of Mirajane. _"_ _Hi Master!"_ The image said cheerfully. _"I'm glad you made it to the confrence safe and sound."_

"See?" Makarov said, showing off Mirajane's image as the other Master's gathered around. "This little honey's one of our poster girls, Mirajane. Grab some eye candy boys!" He smriked as wolf whisles and admiering gasps rang out.

"Oo la la!" Bob said apriciativly.

"That's Mirajane?" Goldmine asked. "I haven't seen her in awhile. She sure has matured."

 _"Oh Master you're not goign to believe what happened!"_ Mira's image said happily. _"It may be the greatest thing in the history of Fairy Tail!"_

"Really?!" Makarov asked, getting a little excited.

 _"Erza, Jellal, Erik, Natsu, and Gray have all teamed up together! An amazing combination huh?! In fact I think they mat hve formed the strongest team Fairy Tail's ever seen! Sorry to bother you, but I just had to send you a quick note to tell you the exciting news! See you soon master!"_

Makarov's face twisted in horror. "Not. Those. Five!" He said, shaking and stuttering with every word.

"What's wrong Makcy?" Bob asked worried for his friend.

"I guess the council has a good reason to be worried, right?" Goldmine asked sarcasticly.

Makarov collapsed on the table, twitching.

 _I can't believe this is happening! Those five really COULD destroy an entire city!_ He thought, franticly. _The confrence ends today, so I can be back at Fairy Tail by tommorow afternoon. I just hope nothing crazy happens between now and then. Oh PLEASE let nothing happen!_

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

As I hung onto the top of the Magic Mobile, I had the vage sense that someone was praying for, and cursing our group at the same time.

As we raced up to Kunugi Station, the wreckage of the train cars stood out like a sore thumb. Some of the Rune Knights were gathered around the station, no doubt protecitng their supervisor and the Station Master.

"I can understand cars and boats, but why would they want to hijack a train?" Lucy asked.

"It doesn't seem like it would be a very good choice for getaways since it can only follow the tracks it's on." Happy agreed.

"Yes that's true." Erza said. "But they are quite fast."

"Then I guess it's up to us to figure out where those Esinwald guys are goin' in such a big hurry and why." Gray commented.

"You're naked Gray!" Lucy yelled.

"Am I?" Gray asked, looking down at himself curiously.

"It shouldn't be too hard." Jellal said, pulling out a map. "That track only has a few stops between here and the capital."

"Agreed." Erik said, tracing a finger down the track like. "Most of these stops are small towns and villages. None of them really have anything important enought for a dark Guild to hit."

I stayed silent, studying the map. Something wasn't right, I could feel it. We were missing a peice of the puzzle.

"The Miliatry has already been called to action," Lucy said, looking down at the Rune Knights again. "So it should only be a matter of time before someone catches them."

"I hope that's the case Lucy." Erza said before she started up the car again.

* * *

"Stop Erza!" Gray yelled as we tore through the streets. "You're going way too fast! You're gonna overload the SE plug!"

"There's no telling how many innocent people that could die if Lullaby's song is played!" Erza snapped back. "I can't slow down! We have to stop Eisenwald before it's too late!"

Erik had abandoned the car awhile back, leting Cubellios shift into her bigger form so he could ride her overhead. I was regreting that I hadn't joined him when he offered.

"But at this rate you're gonna use up all your magic before we even start fighting!" Gray said.

"Well then I'll just have to rely on hand-to-hand combat." Erza said, dissmissing his concerns. "Besides, I've got you, Jella, Natsu, and Erik as back up, And Vega's leading the team!"

I looked on ahead as I spotted a plume of smoke. Oshibana Station was smoking, and Rune Knights and a few of the Station personel were gathered out front, holding the crowd back.

"Excuse me!" I yelled from the back. The crowd parted like a river in front of me.

"Is that her?"

"No way!"

"She's really here!"

Whispers sprang up all around me as I led my team forward.

"This situation is under control." I yelled, getting everyone to quiet down. "Please be patient, we will have the problem fixed as soon as possible. But for now I ask that you all please clear the area! We need room to work, and anyone that is in the way will be in the line of fire!"

Mutters filled the air as the crowd dispersed. "Wow Vega." Lucy said, looking up at me. "That was amazing."

"No time for that now." I said, reaching into the puch on my belt. I dug around for a moment, before pulling out what I needed. A small amulet that was strung on a black cord. I held it up, letting the others get a good look before tossing it to Erza. "Use this to get any information that can be helpful to us, tell them Cosmitella authorized it. We need to know what we're up against."

Erza's eyes went wide as she saw the mark, and she looked at me with questioning eyes. "I'll explain later Erza." I said, cutting her off before she could speak. "Right now we need to be focused on the mission." She nodded and took off for the nearest knight.

"Better start prepping guys." I said, looking at the others.

"We have no idea what we're walking into..."


	26. Confrontation

**I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, they would have taken in a lot more strays. I do own Vega, Dante, and Bella, but I don't own the Black Keys. They belong to _fairytailcrossover._**

* * *

"Erza, Report!" I barked as we took off into the station.

"A small army unit stormed in earlier," She said as we ran. "But they have yet to return. I'm guessing that they've been caught in battle with the Eisenwald forces." I was in the lead as Erza and Jellal flanked me. Gray was to Jellal's right, while Erik was to Erza's left. Lucy brought up the rear as she carried Natsu, and Happy, Dante, and Bella had their wings out, flying alongside her.

As we swiftly made our way deeper into the station, soldiers started to appear. They were all strewn about, some wounded, most unconcious. Their weapons were broken and battered, like they had fought against an enemy mush more powerful than they were, and lost.

"They've been completely wiped out!" Happy commented worriedly.

"This doesn't bode well for us." Dante said, his paw inching towards his sword.

"They were up against an entire guild of wizards." Erza said, narrowing her eyes as we slowed to a walk. "As small contingiant like this would never stand a chance against such a powerful group.

"Bella!" I said. The female Exceed flew up to me. "I need you to use your healing magic, get these soliders out of the line of fire!"

"Right!" Bella broke off from us, and flew over to the nearest solider.

"Welcome!" A voice rang out. "Step into our parlor, Fairy Tail Flies!" Erigor was exactly as I remembered him. Tall, with a lean, muscular body adorned with dark blue vine tattoos, and dark silver hair. Dark eyes, framed by dark blue tattoos, and a pointed face. His scythe was lazly resting on his shoulder.

"Erigor," I said, my face twisting into an ugly smirk. "Never thought I would see your ugly mug crawl out of the woodwork again." His face twisted into a sneer as I stared him down.

Lucy was trying to shake Natsu awake from the sidelines, and the others were glaring down the members of Eisenwald as I kept my focus on Erigor.

"We're not threatened by any of you!" Erza declaired, her voice strong and hard. "Tell us what you're planning to do with Lullaby!" She demanded.

"Oh, you haven't heard yet." Erigor said, talking to her like she was stupid. With a burst of Wind Magic he floated up into the air overhead. "What do all train stations have?" He asked retoricly.

My mind flew through the possibilitys, before settling on one. My eyes widened in horror. "The speaker system." I whispered. The rest of the team looked at me with wide eyes. "You're planning to **broadcast** the Lullaby's song?!" I demanded angrily. **"Are you insane?!"**

Erigor just laughed as he touched down on a speaker. "Thousands of nosy onlookers have flocked to this station to get a glimps of the action." He informed. "Who knows? If I raise the volume enough, I may be able to extinguish the entire city with my melody of death!"

"What reason do you have to comit such a henious crime against the innocent people of this town?!" Erza demanded.

Erigor just chuckled. "This is a cleansing of all the fools out there who fail to appreciate the rights they hold so dear." My face turned stormier with every word. "Who remaine willfully ignorant to the plight of those who have had their rights stripped away. They've committed the sin of turning a blind eye to the world's injustice. Therefor," His eyes gained a crazed light to them. "The Reaper has come to punish them!"

"But killing them isn't gonna help get you your rights back!" Lucy yelled angrily. "It's only gonna make it worse! That's the whole reason you were kicked out of the Wizard League in the first place!"

"At this point we've givin up trying to regain our rights." Erigor explained, lifting a hand. "We want power, then we will be able to wash away the sins of the past and control the future!"

"You guys are completely insane!" Lucy yelled.

"That they are Lucy." Erik agreed darkly. "And nothing we say is going to fix that." Poison mists started to condense around his clenched fists.

"We're rolling in a new age of darkness!" the one I recognized as Kage said as he knelt down. A purple magic circle lit up underneath him. "Course, by the time it gets here you flies will be long gone!" Bolts of shadow sprang forwards, heading towards the young blond with shocking speed. They rose out of the ground, condensing, and made to grab her.

Only to be shattered by a flaming fist.

"You again!" Kage said, his face twisted into a sneer.

"Eisenwald dude!" Natsu said, grinning dangerously. "I knew I recognized that voice." The Eisenwald mages looked at him with aprehension.

"You're back to normal!" Lucy exclaimed happily.

"Oh, wow." Natsu said, eyeing the enemy with a grin. "Looks like we've got ourselves a party here huh?"

"Natsu these are the guys we have to fight!" Lucy yelled.

"Heh, like I said," Natsu grinned darkly, slaming his fist into his hand. "It's a party!"

It was a standoff, seven mages and three cats, against an entire dark guild.

"This is the strongest team Fairy Tail has to offer!" Lucy yelled challengingly. "You'd better be ready!"

Erigor just smiled and floated upwards. "I leave them to you." He said. "Show them the terror of the Dark Guild Eisenwald!" He dissappeared, fazing out of existance.

"Natsu, Gray! You're with me!" I barked. "We need to stop him. If the three of us work together, not even Erigor the Reaper can stop us." The two of them were growling at eachother again, until I pushed them apart. "NOW MOVE!" I roared.

"Aye!" They whimpered, running from me at full speed."I'll leave the rest to you!" I called back to the others.

* * *

As we ran, loud crashes sounded from behind us. "Sound's like Erza and Jellal are just getting warmed up." Dante said, smirking.

We kept running down the halls, myself and Dante in the lead, with Natsu and Gray following closely from behind. "I can't believe she's making us work together." Gray whispered. "What is she thinking?!"

"Obviously she's not thinking, everybody knows that fire and ice don't mix!" Natsu growled.

"Why does she always have to be so freaking bossy?!" Gray snarled.

"She should ask us to do stuff instead of ordering us around!" Natsu agreed.

They stopped short behind me as I kept going. "I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP! I CAN HANDLE ERIGOR ALL BY MYSELF! ARE YOU COPYING ME?!" They yelled in unison.

"BOYS!" I roared, turning around again. They flinched. " **SHE** CAN HEAR EVERY WORD YOU'RE SAYING!" I tapped my foot impatiently, my eye twitching. Dante was hovering around me, trying to hold back his laughter as the boys cowared under my glare.

Behind me was the junction of the corridor, splitting off into two different directions. "Which way do we go?" Natus asked.

"We split up." I said. "Natsu, you and I will go left, Gray, you and Dante take the right." We faced towards our directions. "Natsu, Gray," I said seriously. The boys looked at me in surprise. "We're up agaisnt an evil freak who's getting ready to unleash a deadly spell. This is serious, so I expect the both of you to give it your all." Their eyes were filled with determination. "Don't let me down."

"I'f you find him," Gray said, raising a fist. "Give him a thrashing." He said, a smile on his face.

"You don't have to worry about that." Natsu said, giving him a sharp toothed grin. "I've got a bone to pick with that jerk for messin with Fairy Tail. I'm gonna burn him to a crisp!" The both chuckled for a moment, before turning away again in a huff.

Gray mutterd something that my ears barely caught. "Don't die on me." Before taking off at a run.

"Let's go Natsu!" I roared, sprinting.

* * *

We had been running for awhile, when my nose picked up a scent following us. I sneaked a quick glance, and my eyes widened at the shadow that was tailing us...


	27. The Shadowed Wind

**I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, Kage would have probably been converted... On that note, I don't own the Black Keys either, cause _fairytailcrossover_ has copyright. Most of the White Keys aren't mine either, and you've probably already guessed that, but they belong to various anime that you'll probably recognize.**

 **Vega: Do you actually own any of us?**

 **That I do. I own you, Dante, Bella, your dragons, and any unfamiliar content.**

 **Vega: Oh...**

 **Yeah, Oh, now ON TO THE STORY!**

* * *

I was keeping an eye on the shadow as Natsu quickly grew frustrated.

"ERIGOR!" He roared, fire swirling around his hands. "COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREEVER YOU ARE!" He started smashing through walls, looking for the reaper bastard as I trailed along behind him. "YOU IN HERE?" he yelled, smashing through walls like paper. As we hit a dead end Natsu stopped. "Where is he?" he snarled.

I kept my back to the shadow, scenting the air as it drew closer.

With a small smirk, I jumped avoiding the attack that sent Natsu flying headfirst into a pile of crates.

Kage smirked, before I landed behind him. "There," He said sumgly. "Had enough Fairy Tail insect?" He asked as Natsu struggled to pull himself out of the crates.

I held back a giggle as Natsu pulled himself free. "NOT YOU AGAIN!" Natsu roared.

The affect was ruined by the painting his head was stuck in.

Kage apparently though so to, because he chuckled. "Wow," He said. "You look like an idiot."

"Aw shut it Toupee!" Natsu shot back.

Kage looked annoyed. "Get it right!" He said, stomping. "It's Kage! The name is KAGEYAMA!"

"Oh, same thing really." Natsu said, brushing him off.

"Anyway," Kage said, relaxing. "I think I've got you all figured out this time." He said flippantly. "You eat flames to increase your power, isn't that your big trick? Shouldn't be too hard to stamp out." He remarked.

Natsu was slowly getting pissed off. You could tell cause his head caught fire. "NOW I REALLY WANNA TEACH YOU A LESSON!" He roared. "But I don't have the time! Tell me where Erigor is!" He demanded.

Kage just smirked. "You think I'm just gonna tell you that?" He asked sarcastically. "If you REALLY wanna know then your gonna have to **beat** it of me!" A dark purple spell circle appeared under his feet. " **Kuckle Shadow!** " He yelled. Three trendles of shadow raced forwards, striking at Natsu, who blocked it to his surprise.

"So," Natsu replied happily. "We get to knock you around and we get the Info we want?" Natsu gave him a fanged grin. "That's killin two birds with one stone, huh Vega?" He asked me, looing passed the shadow Mage at me. I nodded in agreement as Kage whirled around with a shocked look, obviously forgetting that I was there too. "I'm gettin all fired up!" Natsu announced.

Kage turned, obviously thinking I was the weaker one, until I gave him an uppercut that sent him reeling. He gave up on me, and shot dozens of shadows towards Natsu, who dodged them easily. I yawned dismissively as I danced around the shadows he sent at me.

He knelt on the floor, a spell circle blazing around his hand. " **Snake** **Shadow**!" He yelled. "You can't run this time!" He yelled as roughly a dozen vipers made of shadows sprung up around him. "They'll tear you to pieces!" He said as the snakes lunged towards us.

Natsu slammed his fists together, igniting a red spell circle, as I dove out of the way. "I got this." He said as fire swirled around him. " **Fire Dragon Wing Attack!** " His arms lit up in flames, and he brought them down on the vipers, destroying them and sending up a huge dust cloud.

"Impossible!" Kage yelled, shocked. "He was able to defeat them with one shot!"

"And he's not even S-Class." I gleefully pointed out to the Shadow Mage's shock.

"Ready to talk?" Natsu said, the fire around his fists growing hotter with each second. "If not, I've got a fire ball with your name on it!"

"No," Kage said, on the verge of panic. "You're a monster!" He yelled.

Natsu's quiet rage was amazing as he hefted a fire ball that rocked the entire building. "Aw man," He said. "Look what you made me do!" He walked through the dust. "I was TRYING not to mess up the whole place this time."

Kage had been blasted into the wall. He sat in the center of an impressive scorch mark that tailed across the floor. "Anyway," Natsu continued. "I feel better." He crossed his arms, grinning at the downed mage. "Sorry I had to take you down Diarama."

"I told you," Kage rasped. "It's Kageyama."

"Whatever." Natsu said, brushing him off again. He pointed at him. "Tell me where Erigor is or you're gonna get toasted!"

Kage started chuckling after a second. "He's long gone you idiot." He said smugly, confirming my fears. "He's not even in this station anymore!"

"What?!" Natsu yelped. I nodded grimly, finally understanding what was going on.

"Natsu! Vega!" Erza's voice yelled. We turned, seeing the other's racing towards us. "Do not harm him! We need him alive!"

"Way to go you Fire Freak!" Gray said.

"Huh?" Natsu said, looking confused. He squealed as Erza lunged towards him with a drawn sword, only to bypass him and swing at Kage.

"You will dispel the wind barrier and you will do so without complaint!" She demanded as Kage coward before her.

"Just do it man!" Natsu said panicking. "This chick's a real monster!"

"Shut up Natsu!" Gray snapped.

"Understood?!" Erza demanded.

"Fine!" Kage rasped. "I'll dispel it!"

My nose picked up something, and I lunged forwards as a yellow spell circle appeared on Kage's chest. A hand burst out, reaching through him as he grimaced in pain. "Why Coraka?" He rasped as he fell into my arms. The fat mage from earlier was phased into the wall, frozen where he had just struck down the Shadow Mage.

"No!" Gray said as we rushed over towards him. "He was our only way out of here!"

"Damn it!" Erik growled as he and Jellal ran up, with Lucy in tow. "We're too late!"

"Kage don't you dare die on us!" Erza demanded. "We need your help! Do you hear me?!"

"I think we're loosing him Erza!" Jellal warned as he felt Kage's pulse.

"You're the only one of us that's able to dispel the Wind Barrier!" Erza said, her voice grim. "Just hang on!"

"Give me some room!" I demanded as they fretted over him. I eased him onto the floor and lit my hands up with a green spell circle, concentrating on the life I could still feel in him as I ran them over his chest. " **Healing** **T** **ouch of the Celestial** **Life** **Dragon!** " The world around me slipped out of focus as I felt for what needed to be fixed, and I vaguely heard Natsu fly into a rage as I started to work on the damage.

After a long minute, I was done with what I could do. I sat back, rubbing the sweat on my forehead away. "I've done all I can." I informed, looking over the others. "He's going to be out of it for awhile, so we need to find another way out." I looked around at them. "Let's head back up!" I said. Erik stepped forwards and slung Kage over his shoulder. Nodding to me, we set out, racing back towards the surface.

* * *

It was a grim sight that greeted us when we reached the station entrance. Powerful winds encompassed the entire station, racing at speeds that would rip anyone without wind magic to pieces.

"Why are they even doing this?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Erigor's insane," Erik said, laying Kage down on the ground as I approached the wind barrier. "The last time he pulled something like this the Magic Council sent Vega to apprehend him for his crimes. She defeated him, but Erigor got away."

"Barely." I supplied, studying the raging winds with a critical eye. "He only got away because I was distracted at the last second by the hostages he took to avoid capture. It was either apprehend him and sacrifice a dozen innocent children, or let him go and save their lives." I stepped away, turning back towards my team. "The wind barrier reeks of dark magic. We won't be able to pass through as we are now, and it's imperative that we find a way as soon as possible! Every minute we waste, is another minute that Erigor has to get to Clover, and the Guild Masters."

"What?!" Lucy asked, shocked. "Erigor wants to use Lullaby on the Guild Masters?!"

"We have to stop him!" Natsu declared.

"That's easier said than done." Erza said. "Erigor cut off our only means of reaching Clover, and is heading there by air."

"I'm pretty sure that we can catch up to him on the Magic Mobile." Erik said, his eyes narrowing. "But we can't do anything until we figure out how to get on the other side of this barrier."

"How are we going to do that?" Lucy asked, her voice betraying her panic.

I lifted my arms, letting my own magic feel for the barrier's. It was fast, and incredibly dark. With a quick calculation I determined that even a Roar Attack wouldn't pierce through. Before I could warn them, Natsu raced forward with a war cry, slamming a flaming fist into the barrier. It wavered for a second, then Natsu was thrown back by the high speed winds. He landed face first on the pavement, and lay twitching as the rest of us (besides Lucy) sweatdropped.

"See?" Grey matter-of-factly informed a terrified Lucy. "That's what happens if you try to bust through."

Meanwhile Erza and Jellal were hovering over Kage. "Kage, wake up!" Erza ordered. "You're our only hope right now!"

"He's still out cold," Jellal informed. "That wizard did a hell of number on him."

I sighed in frustration as Natsu jumped up and started ramming the barrier again. "I'VE GOTTA TRY TO BREAK THROUGH!" he roared. "WE HAVE, TO SAVE, MAKAROV!" he yelled, a punch interrupting every word.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled in shock as he was tossed back again.

"Cut it out you idiot." Gray said. "Obviously brute force isn't gonna do you any good."

"Isn't their anything you could do?" Lucy asked the ice mage. "If you tried freezing it, maybe Natsu could melt it!" She suggested brightly.

"If I could I would have done that already!" Gray shot back.

Natsu rammed the barrier again. "Natsu!" Gray shouted.

"Would you stop trying to be the hero!" Lucy yelled as Natsu strained against the barrier. "You're gonna get torn to shreds!"

"Damn it," Erza said, cursing herself. "I don't know what to do!"

Natsu as thrown back again, this time landing in Lucy's arms, but before he could charge again, Lucy held him back. "I sia stop it!" She yelled.

Natsu froze for a moment, before coming to a realization. "We could use your spirits!" He said to Lucy. Lucy looked shell shocked for a moment. "Back at Everloo's I was pulled from one place to another through the Spirit World!" He explained excitedly.

"Well yeah," Lucy said. "But normal people would suffocate to death if they tried that! It's hard to breath in their world!" She exclaimed as we looked on. "Besides a Celestial Wizard can only open a gate where ever they're standing!" She explained.

Natsu looked confused. "Okay," Lucy said. "Let me simplify this for you. Even if **could** pass through the Spirit world, we would need another Celestial Wizard to open a gate outside the train station for us to pass through!" She explained.

"You're totally confusing me." Natsu said mulishly. "Just hurry up and do it!" He demanded.

"But I told you I can't!" Lucy defended. "Not to mention the very act of a human entering the Spirit world is a serious breach of contract! I didn't care when you did it because it wasn't my key, it was Everloo's."

"I don't get your magic at all." Natsu deadpanned.

That was when Happy squealed in realization. "I just remembered Lucy!" Happy said, skipping over to the blond.

"Remembered what?" Lucy asked.

"WHAT I WAS TRYING TO TELL YOU ON THE WAY HERE!" Happy yelled, startling us.

"Oh yeah," Dante said. "When you kept calling Lucy weird?"

Happy pulled a golden key out of his pack. "Look!" He chirped happily.


	28. Of Spirits, Demons, Life, and Death

**Yeah, I'm pretty sure you guys know I don't own Fairy Tail by now, but I still have to remind you that I don't own the Black Keys. They have all threatened to boycott the story if I don't remind you they belong to _fairytailcrossover._ On the same note, I don't own the White Keys either, and you'll probably recognize them from various anime.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"How did you get your paws on Virgo's Key?!" Lucy yelled, grabbing Happy's mouth. "Didn't anyone teach you it's wrong to steal things?!" She demanded.

"But I didn't steal it!" Happy defended. "Virgo asked me to give it to you!"

Lucy let go in shock.

"Come on guys," Gray said dispassionately. "We're wasting way to much of out time listening to this nonsense."

"Who's Virgo?" Natsu asked. Then his face lit up in recognition. "OH, wasn't she that big gorilla looking maid?" Natsu asked.

"Apparently her contract with Everloo was broken as soon as he was arrested." Happy explained. "Before we all left that day she came up to me and said that she wanted to sign a new contract with you Lucy!" He said happily.

"Great," Lucy said statistically. "I get I get a big ugly spirit. Anyway, thanks for letting me know." She said. "But I'll have to deal with her later. If you didn't realize it, right now we need to find a way out of here!"

"But," Happy started to say before Lucy pinched his cheeks.

" **Shut up!** " She snarled. " **Why can't you just meow like every other cat**?!" she yelled, a dark rage cloud surrounding her.

"She can be pretty scary." Gray commented offhandedly.

"Agreed." Dante said, looking at the blond in fear.

"Must have learned it from Erza." Natsu commented.

"I'm sorry," Happy apologized pitifully. "I just thought since Virgo can drill holes, maybe she could dig through the ground and get us to the other side of the barrier."

"WHAT?!" Erik asked.

"HUH?!" Jellal gasped.

"SHE CAN?!" Erza asked, shocked.

"SERIOUSLY?!" Gray asked.

"UHH," Natsu deadpanned.

"HAPPY!" I yelled. "I can't believe I'm saying this, BUT YOU'RE A FURRY GENIUS!"

"YOU'RE RIGHT!" Lucy said. "She can!" The blond picked up Happy and started dancing. "You're so smart Happy!" She praised happily. ""Why didn't you mention that sooner silly kitty?" She asked in a happy daze.

Happy just shot her a baleful glare. "Someone was pinching my face!"

Lucy dropped the Exceed and started bowing. "My most sincere humble heartfelt apologies." She said. "I promise I'll make it up to you! JUST PLEASE LET ME HAVE THE KEY!" She begged.

"Give me some fish and all is forgiven!" Happy suggested.

Dante facepawed. "Happy you are such a fish addict..." He groaned.

The Exceed handed over the key as I got my own Black Key out. "Call on Virgo Lucy!" I ordered. "I'm calling in a little backup myself!" The blond nodded as we stood back to back.

" **I call upon thee, in the world of the Celestial Spirits,** " she chanted. " **And now I beckon you to my side at once! Pass through the Gate!** "

I slashed my own key as she did the same. " **Open! Gate of the Celestial Maiden/Bluecap! Virgo!/Ed** **afos!** "

The ground cracked as the sounds of two bells rang out. Edafos landed next to me in a flash of black as a woman with pink hair in a french maid's outfit appeared before Lucy in a flash of gold. She was thin and curvy, with deep blue eyes and pale skin. In addition to her maid outfit, she wore a pair of shackles with broken chains on her wrists.

Edafos was almost her opposite, with his chocolate colored skin and dark royal blue hair and eyes. He wore a pair of earthy green slacks held up with a loose tan belt, while his torso was bare. His pickaxe was hanging from it's loop on his right hip, and a large grin was on his face. "What can I do for you Vega?" He asked pleasantly.

Lucy on the other hand looked gobsmacked over Virgo's appearance. "You summoned me mistress?" The pinkette asked. "What can I do for you?"

"Who are you?" Lucy asked, clearly still shocked.

"What's up Virger!" Natsu said, stepping up to greet her. "Man you look great! You lost some weight!" He complemented.

"My name's Virgo," She corrected. "I apologize for any trouble I night have caused you." She apologized sweetly.

"She didn't just loose weight Natsu!" Lucy said, looking crazed.

"What do you mean?" Gray asked.

"She's like a totally different person!" Lucy said freaking out.

"Well yeah," Edafos commented, drawing everyone's attention. "Some spirits can alter their appearance to fit their master's preferences." He smiled at the young pinkette. "It's one of the few things most Demons like me can't do. It's good to see you again Virgo, and on the same side this time."

"I'm a very loyal spirit who will do anything to please her Wizard." Virgo said pleasantly. "So I try to take on whatever form I think my wizard will find most appealing." Virgo explained. "It is pleasant to see you as well Edafos." She said nodding towards my Demon friend. "How are things in the Demon World?"

"Slow my friend." He replied.

"I don't know," Natsu said. "I kinda liked it when you were all big and tough lookin." He commented.

"Did you really? Well than," She said, glowing gold for a moment before turning into a great hulking gorilla like woman. "I can change back if you like." All of us flinched away, even Edafos looked horrified for a moment.

"Virgo!" He said. "What did that man do to you?!" He yelled.

"Don't listen to him!" Lucy yelled. "I'm your wizard and I like the other form better!" She asserted hysterically. Virgo seemed to listen, and glowed gold again, shrinking down.

"As you wish mistress." She said. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm afraid we don't have much time." Lucy explained. "Can we work out the contract details later?" She asked.

"Of course," Virgo said, turning to the blond. "Whatever you like mistress."

"Do you really have to call me mistress?" Lucy asked as Virgo eyed the whip on her hip.

"Would you prefer I call you queen?" Virgo asked.

"No." Lucy replied.

"What about Princess?"

"Oh, yeah that's most like it." Lucy said, making everyone else sweatdrop.

"Princess, yeah right." Gray snorted.

"Hurry up ladies." Natsu said.

"Yes sir," Virgo said, her eyes glowing red for a moment as she bowed. "Now," A gold spell circle appeared under her feet as Edafos stepped over to join her. A black spell circle appeared around him as he puled his pickaxe off his belt. They dove underground, breaking through the bricks of the station is seconds.

"Oh wow look at 'em go!" Gray said as he watched the two spirits with a smile.

"Nicely done Lucy!" Erza praised, slamming Lucy's head into her breastplate.

"Alright you guys!" Gray said happily. "Time to bust out of this joint!" He turned to look back at us, only to see Natsu and Erik hauling Kage along too. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked.

"We know he's one of our enemies," Erik started.

"But we'd feel guilty if we just left him here to die." Natsu finished. Kage's breathing changed for a moment as he woke up slightly.

Erza smiled gently as we carefully levered the injured shadow mage into the hole.

The view from outside the Wind Barrier was even more chaotic than inside. The winds blew at hurricane force, and almost completely obscured the view of the station inside. "Looks like we made it out!" Gray yelled over the roar of the wind.

"Let's head towards Clover!" Erza yelled.

"Whoa this wind is crazy!" Lucy yelled, panicking slightly.

"Princess!" Virgo yelled, grabbing onto Lucy's skirt. "I'll keep your panties from showing!" She declared, unintentionally leaving her own skirt vulnerable.

"You just worry about your own!" Lucy ordered a little too late. The celestial maid full on flashed Gray and Edafos, causing their brains to short circuit.

"Oh wow." They both groaned, steam coming off of their heads.

"Hubba Hubba!" Dante said, his nose bleeding a little as he fell back.

"It's no use," Kage said, a smile on his face as Erik laid him out on the stone road. We all looked over at him. "You'll never be able to catch up to Erigor. You can't stop us. We've won." His voice was still weak and strained with pain.

"That's not true." Dante said, jumping off my shoulder to stand next to him. "Fairy Tail never gives up." He proclaimed, staring at the shadow mage with his fierce yellow eyes. "And It's not over until we say it is."

Edafos took that moment to leap out of the hole, Bella in his arms. "Bella!" Erik said happily as his Exceed jumped into his arms.

"I managed to get the soldiers out before the barrier went up." The calico Exceed informed. "They should be fine now."

"Good work." I praised.

"Where's Natsu?" Erza said suddenly.

"Happy's not here either!" Gray informed.

Erik and my ears perked up for a second, hearing the sound of a distant explosion…

"Found them!" We both said.

* * *

Erik and I rode Cubellios above the Magic Mobile as it raced down the tracks towards Clover. Jellal and Gray had loaded Kage into the Mobile.

* * *

 **Jellal's POV:**

"So tell me," the Shadow Wizard asked, his voice still raspy from the pain. "Why are you taking me with you?"

I was sitting across from him with Lucy, as Gray sat next to him. Dante was sitting between Lucy and the door, as Bella sat on Kage's lap, completely unafraid as her paws glowed green with healing magic, and she looked over him with the critical eye of a healer.

"Because you obviously need a doctor!" Lucy stated matter-of-factually. "And since everyone left town, you'll need to see one in Clover." She turned away from him. "Try and show some gratitude."

"I don't understand." He rasped. "Why are you helping me? We're enemies!" He said, opening one narrow eye to look at me in confusion. Lucy just leveled a glare at him. "Oh wait," He muttered. "I get it, you're taking me hostage so you can try to make a deal with Erigor." He put an arm across his stomach, trying to ignore the pain as he kept talking. "Well you can forget it, he could care less about me or any of his men."'

"Geez." Lucy said darkly. "Lighten up dude."

"That's not it at all." Bella said, looking up at him, her normally warm brown eyes hardened with anger. Kage looked down at her in surprise. "Everyone deserves a chance to live."

"But if you wanna die we can make that happen." Gray commented dispassionately.

"Chill Gray." Lucy warned.

"There's a whole lot more to this world than just life and death." I said, looking at him with an expressionless face. "I should know that better than anyone." I said, looking down at the floor as memories of the Tower flashed through my mind.

"You should try to look for the positive." Gray said. Kage looked interested. "You and your Eisenwald pals."

We stayed silent for a moment, until the Mobile hit a sudden bump and jostled us all out of our seats. I didn't see exactly what happened, but the next thing I knew, Lucy was screaming for Gray to kill Kage for Sexual Harassment as Dante and Bella laughed hysterically.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

I caught sight of a tornado far ahead of us that was followed by a literal geyser of flames. I could only pray that Natsu was alright….


	29. Change of Heart

**I don't own Fairy Tail, if I did, then most of the converted enemies would have bigger parts in the story. I don't own the Black Keys either. They belong to _fairytailcrossover_ and her story Trapped. I recommend it, cause Lucy was due for a big power up. Dante and Bella belong to me though, as does Vega.**

* * *

We pulled up to Natsu just as I felt a spark of dark magic flare up.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled happily as they piled out of the car. Erik coaxed Cubellios into landing on the tracks next to them.

"Hey!" He yelled back. "You guys just missed seeing me beat Erigor!"

"Aye!" Happy chimed in.

"I'm proud of you." Erza said breathlessly.

"You gonna be okay Erza?" Lucy asked as she and Jellal helped the exhausted red down from the driver's seat.

"Yes, don't worry about me." She said, brushing her concerns off.

Kage's jaw dropped as he saw Erigor lying in the center of the tracks, out cold. I saw him give a visible gulp of fear.

"I can't believe you had such a hard time with this guy." Gray commented, pissing off the already irritated Dragon Slayer.

I tuned out the conversation as Bella walked over and picked up Lullaby. "This thing just radiates Dark Magic." The little female Exceed said, giving the artifact a hate filled glare. "I'll be keeping it close until we reach Clover." She informed me, touching the blue crystal around her neck to activate her Sub-Space Magic.

A black trendle snuck over her shoulder, grabbing Lullaby before she could shove it away. I heard the roar of an engine, and flung myself out of the way as the Magic Mobile raced past me.

"Kage!" Erza yelled.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Gray demanded.

"Lullaby's mine now!" Kage yelled back, an insane look on his face. "Shouldn't have let your guard down flies!" His demented laughter rang out as he flew down the tracks as breakneck speed.

As everyone else froze, Erik and I jumped back on Cubellios with Dante and Bella in tow. "We'll get him!" I yelled down to them as we flew away. "The rest of you try and catch up!"

"You got it!" Jellal yelled back.

The chase lasted throughout the day, and well into the night. Erik and I lost sight of the Magic Mobile as soon as the sun went down, so we flew straight to Clover to meet up with the others instead.

* * *

After hunting around for a few moments, we located Master Makarov.

"There he is!" Gray said.

"Gramps!" Natsu said happily.

"Master!" Erza exclaimed.

"Shhh!" A voice said. We all turned, and flinched away from the horror that met our eyes.

Master Bob of Blue Pegasus in full drag.

"We're just about to get to the good part." He said, looking over the boys with a critical eye. "Well aren't you boys just yummy?" He said, flirting as Erik, Natsu, Gray, and Jellal flinched and shivered with fear. "So adorable." I held back my giggles at the horrified looks on their faces when Bob got closer.

"Who the heck is that guy?" Lucy whispered.

"Master Bob," I said happily, getting the drag queen's attention away from the boys, who bolted as soon as they saw a way out.

"Erza! Vega! Honeys, you have really filled out!" He commented, looking us up and down with appreciation.

"You're telling me that weirdo's the master of the Blue Pegasus Guild?" Lucy whispered.

"Yup," I whispered back, chuckling slightly at Bob's straightforwardness. "Kinda a strange guy, but every wizard has a quirk." I commented. "Some just hide it better than others." I remarked thoughtfully.

Bob went off and found the boys again. Gray and Natsu were his victims as he pulled them in for a creepy headlock strangle hug.

"Can you guys keep it down over there?" Master Goldmine asked. "We're just about to get to the good part."

"He's with Quatro Cerberus!" Lucy said, surprised.

"That's their master, Goldmine." Erza explained calmly.

We looked back at the clearing, where Master Makarov was still waiting to hear Kage's song. Kage was frozen as I could feel the dark magic spiking and dissipating with every moment. I could feel his uncertainty from where I was standing.

"Don't do it Kage." I whispered pleadingly, mentally willing him to put down the cursed flute.

Makarov sighed. "Nothing's going to change." He said. Startled, Kage lowered the flute as Master continued talking. "You cannot change the fact that those who are weak will forever remain weak. Now maybe it's just me, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I mean, we humans are weak creatures by nature." We were all listening at this point. "Our insecurities are the reason that Guilds even exist, and they're why we have friends." He looked over his shoulder at Kage. "When we're surrounded with allies it's easier to stay positive about the future. Think of it this way, if we're clumsy, then we may stumble and bump into things, but as long as we have faith in out future, we continue marching forward, our

inner strength emerges on it's own. But we have to choose that path, and pledge to live out lives to the fullest." Kage looked stricken as Makarov turned to him. "Don't let that silly flute get in the way." The master ordered.

A brief breeze blew through as a tense moment passed….

….and Kage dropped the flute.

"I surrender." He said, dropping to his knees before Master.

"Nice going Master!" I yelled, running towards him.

"Master!" Erza yelled.

"You stopped him!" Natsu said.

"Good job Gramps!" Gray yelled.

"Wha-" Gramps seemed shocked to see us. "How did you kids end up in Clover?!" He demanded.

"Master Makarov!" Erza said, picking him up and slamming him against her breastplate in a hug. "Your words touched me so deeply I was almost moved to tears!" She said, her voice thick with emotion.

"Well it looks like we got here just in time to see Gramps talk his way out of another one." Gray said as Natsu patted Gramps on the head. Lucy and I knelt by Kage, who was still kneeling.

I put a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at me with tears in his eyes. "Lets-"

I was cut off as a dark cackle rang out.

"Oh no..." I whispered, whirling around as the dark magic spiked that highest it had ever gone.


	30. The Flute's True Form

**I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, Jellal and Erza would have been a thing from episode one, and Natsu would stop hiding how smart he really is. The Black Keys don't belong to me either, they belong to _fairytailcrossover_.**

* * *

"Oh no..." I whispered, whirling around as the dark magic spiked that highest it had ever gone.

 _ **"**_ _ **Mwahaha!"**_ The voice cackled, eminating from the flute as dark mist started to flow from it, and purple energy began to spark. _**"I've grown tired of you cowardly wizards and your antics!"**_ It growled. Everyone looked at it in shock.

"Something came out!" Happy yelled as a Dark Spell Circle appeared over our heads, and started throwing off purple lightning.

 _ **"I can not longer hold back!"**_ The flute growled as it flew up from the ground. **_"I shall come forth to devour you myself!"_** It transformed, turning into it's true form. A hundred foot tall demon made completely out of wood, big enought to crush the entire town. _**"I shall feast upon your pitiful souls!"**_

"It's so big!" Lucy yelled, panicking.

"Way to state the obvious!" Happy yelled back.

"Just our luck." Dante sighed, pinching his nose in agrivation.

"What is that thing?!" Kage yelled, panicing. "Erigor never said anything about a monster!"

Bob and Goldmine looked unimpressed. "We're in a pickle." Bob commented.

"It must be a demon from the book of Zeref." Goldmine added helpfully.

"Why did Lullaby turn into a mosnter?!" Lucy asked.

"That's what Lullaby's true form looks like in the flesh." Master Goldmine said. "It's forbidon Black Magic. Living Magic, Zeref's specialty."

"Intersting." I said, looking at it with a critical eye before dissmissing it. "That thing is just a cheep imitation of the true Celestial Demons, with barely a fraction of their power." I said, looking at it disspastionatly. "This is nothing but another False Demon.

"What, False Demon?!" Kage said, turning to me. "How could that **thing** be a fake?!" His wild eyes lingered on me for a moment, before he turned back to the demon.

"The most powerful Celestial Demons literally radiate a aura of power." I said, keeping my eyes on the slowly going into a panic town. "It's their way of saying that you would be a _comlpete idiot_ to attack them."

"Living Magic?" Erza asked.

"Who's Zeref?" Gray asked. "Wasn't he some ancient wizard?"

"He's the most evil wizard the world has ever known." Master Bob said. I closed my eyes for a second, holding myself back from correcting them. "He was very powerful in his day, but in my wildest dreams I never thought that his dark legacy would pop back up again."

 _'That's not true,'_ I thought, clenching my fists to stop myslef from lashing out. Erik looked over at me for a second with questioning eyes, catching my thought. I shook my head at him. ' _I'll exlplain later,'_ I promised. He nodded, before refocasing on the demon.

 _ **"Now then,"**_ The demon said, coming closer. _**"Which of these delectable souls shall I dine on first?!"**_

"Delectable huh?!" Natsu asked, sounding insulted. He turned to Gray, "Do you really think souls are that tasty?" He asked hungrily.

"How should I know what they taste like?!" Gray said, a tic mark appearing on his head.

"Always thinking about eating..." Lucy said.

"Natsu! Gray! Get everyone to a safe place!" Erza yelled.

"Quit barkin orders!" Natsu said.

"Yeah! You're not the boss of us!" Gray agreed.

"NO BUT I AM!" I roared. They shut up in a hurry. "Erza is my second for this mission, and you answer to her and me!" I glared at them. "SO JUST DO IT!"

"Aye aye!" They said, scampering off.

"Another bad Happy impression?" Lucy asked mornefully.

Dante facepawed again. "When will those idiots learn?" He asked pleadingly as he looked up at the sky.

The demon spun around, as if it heard something we didn't. _**"You doubt my power?!"**_ It roared furiously. _**"I'll prove it to you!"**_ A black magic circle appeared over it's mouth as it fired a powerful beam at a distant mountain. It exploded in a burst of blinding light that destroyed the entire mountain. It turned back to us. _**"**_ _ **I have no need for those pathetic humans. I prefer the taste of a wizard soul and I will consume all of yours!"**_ The demon let of an ear spliting screach as another spell circle appeared over it's head

"That tears it." I said. "Ready?!" I asked.

"Oh Yeah!" Erik, Jellal, Natsu and Gray said.

"I'm with you!" Erza replyed.

We lept forwards, launching ourselves at the demon at highspeed.

" **Requip!** **The Knight!** " Erza said as she was covered in a golden light. Her red spell circle appeared around her, before both faded to reveal her Heaven's Wheel Armor. She gave off two slashes to the demons torso as I followed her up with an augmented punch that knocked it back.

 **"Ice Make! Lance!"** Gray launched several of the ice projectiles at the demon, scewering it's front.

"Now it's my turn!" Natsu said gleefully as he slamed his fists together. **"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"** He lept towards the demon from the right with a flaming fist, punching it in the face, as Erik pushed himself into the air from it's left.

"Me Next! **Poison Dragon Acid Fist!"** My brother had a gleefully evil smile on his face as his fist lit up with a bubbling green mist. As his fist connected acid ate away at the wood, leaving gapeing holes behind.

Jellal smirked as he was covered in a golden light. **"Meteor!"** He rose into the air, and darted forwards, almost too fast for my eyes to follow. I could see his figure collideing with the demon's several times, throwing it around almost effortlessly.

He finally slowed down as I lept up. My own hands started to glow with silver energy that pulsed and grew brighter wih every second. **"** **Star Dragon Crushing Fangs!"** I slashed my arms down, tearing through the wood demon's chest.

We all landed on a nearby ridge, ready to attack again if the demon moved. And move it did. _**"**_ _ **You are making me angry!"**_ It yelled as it backhanded the ridge, pulverizing it. As it took the swing, we jumped, and Erza slashed down it's arm. Gray landed nearby on the ground, and used his Ice Make Magic to create a large crossbow that fired ice bolts. Erik let off a poisoned roar, as Jellal went for melee again.

"I'm not finished with you!" Natsu declaired as flames swirled around him. He jumped as the flames around his hands started to act like whips. **"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!"** He snapped the whips tearing out another chunk of the demon, before it roared in anger.

It sucked in a large breath, dragging life energy into it's maw. With wide eyes, I grabbed Bella and lept towards the Confrence Hall. "Now Bella! Protect the Confrence Hall!"

"Got it!" The little cat said, grabbing her blue crystal. **"Spacial Magic!"** The Confrence hall glowed light blue. **"Sub Space! Deposit!"** The entire hall dissapeared in a flash of white light. And just in time too...

All of the plants started to die, their life energy sucked towards the demon. _**"Just one note, and your souls will be mine!"**_ It roared. We all slapped out hands over our ears in preparation...

...Only for it to start wheezing instead.

 _ **"I don't understand."**_ The demon said, twitching in confusion. **_"Why can't I play my melody of death?!"_**

"Looks like the plan worked." Erik said smugly.

I nodded. "With all those holes we punched in it, I'm surprised it's still standing." I said with a chuckle.

 _ **"YOU DARE MOCK ME?!"**_ It screamed, before kicking at the Guild Masters. Gray sprinted to them, stoping in front of them as a fire wall sprung up.

" **Ice Make Sheild!** "

Natsu looked at the flames hungraly as the demon roared again. _**"I will kill you all!"**_ It roared.

Natsu started sucking down the flames, making the fire die down in seconds. "Oh yeah! Now I've got a fire in my belly!"

 _ **"You're not Human!"**_ The demon declaired, punching the rock he was standing on. **_"You're a monster!"_**

"Oh like you're one to talk!" Natsu shot back as he jumped and landed on the Demon's arm. He raced up, Erik joining with him half way up.

 _ **"Stop climbing me!"**_ The demon roared, trying and failing to swat him off.

"You ready?" Erik asked. Natsu nodded as I joined them.

"Let's do this!" All three of us yelled.

 **"With the flames of my right hand, and the flames of my left, Put them together!"** Natsu chanted. Erza requip again, changing into her Black Wing Armor and slashing across the demon's face. The demon roared in pain as Gray took the opening and launched an Ice Saucer at it, tearing through it's middle.

 **"For us who hold death in our hands,"** Erik intoned. **"It never poises a true threat..."** Purple mist started to swirl around him, mixing with red the longer I watched.

 **"They are all around us, appearing with the moonrise, dissappearing with the sunrise, but never truely gone..."** I chanted, gold and silver swirling around me as I slid under the demon.

 **"And this is what you get!"** Natsu yelled as the fire around him condensed into a large fireball. **"Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!"**

Erik's attack turned into a large snake, that lunged towards the Demon. **"Dragon** **Slayer** **Secret Art! Pestilence Blast!"** A solidifyed blast of poision burst from the ground.

 **"Dragon Slayer Secret Art!"** I roared, turning my hands upwards. **"Black Star: Gravity Strike!"** The demon was flung into the air by my attack, and was hit by Erik's attack. It barely had time to gasp, before it was hit with Natsu's attack.

The force of all three of our powers sent a beam of white light that was tinged with purple and black into the air, completely obliterating the demon.

As we stood proud, Lullaby fell back to the earth, back in it's flute form.

"Great work out there guys!" Lucy yelled as she ran up to us, with Master Makarov in tow.

"Thanks," Natsu said. "But it wasn't a big deal."

"Yeah!" Gray agreed for one, "Piece of cake!"

Bella walked over to the flute and picked it up again. "This thing has been nothing but trouble!" She declaired, glaring at it, before getting a mischivious smile. "Dante," She said turning towards my partner. "If you would do the honors?"

"Of course sis," He said, pulling out his longsword. With an evil smile, he brought it down on the flute, slicing it in half as it gave one final squeal of pain.

I shook my head at them, before turning around to look at the crator our attacks left behind. "Bella, could you?"

"Oh!" She said, jerking up in surprise. "That's right!" She scampered down to the edge of the crator. **"Spacial Magic!"** The crator glowed for a second, before it began to fill itself in. Once it was level again it glowed a light blue. **"Sub Space! Retrieval!"** The Confrence Hall appeared again, completely undamaged...

"...I can't do anything about the mountiantops though..." She informed, looking out over the smoking mountains and sweatdropping. Master Makarov gasped, before his ghoast tried to escape.

"Haha! We really made a mess of the place didn't we?!" Natsu laughed.

I shook my head, laughing silently as I walked towards the Guild Masters and Kage.

"Well Kage?" I asked, looking down at the shadow mage. "What do you say? You wanna come to Fairy Tail?" I offered him a hand, and he looked at it for a moment...

...before smiling at me and grabbing it.

I pulled him onto his feet, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Good choice." I said...


	31. A New Member

**Alright, here's where it starts to divert from cannon. The changes will be slow and might not seem too important until later, but I assure you, they will all add up later.**

 **On another note, this is easily my most popular story. WOULD IT KILL YOU PEOPLE TO REVIEW?! I'll take constructive criticism or interesting suggestions at this point. I just want to hear back from you people...**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, the Black Keys, or most of the White Keys. The Black Keys belong to** **_fairytailcrossover_** _,_ **the White Keys can be recognized from various anime, and Fairy Tail belongs to whoever the hell wrote it.**

* * *

After everything calmed down, the Rune Knights tried to arrest Kage.

"What the hell are you doing?" I growled.

The Knight that was about to put the magic suppressing cuffs on Kage flinched back. "I'm arresting the culprit ma'am?" He said, his voice an unsure squeak.

I scoffed. "This man is nothing but an innocent pawn that was under the orders of his Guild Master." I stated, glaring at him until he ran off.

"Is there a problem ma'am wizard?" The captain asked, walking up to me.

"You're damn right there's a problem." I said seriously. "I am officially removing this man from your jurisdiction." I stated.

"And why is that?" The captain asked, raising an eyebrow.

I looked over at my friends. "Hey Erza!" I yelled. The red head looked up at me. "Do you still have that amulet I gave you back at the station?" She nodded, and pulled the amulet from around her neck before throwing it to me. I caught it in one hand, the presented it to the Captain. "Does this answer your question?" I asked.

He looked at it for a moment, before looking at my serious face in questioning. I lit up my finger with silver energy, before abruptly turning it gold. His eyes widened, before he regained his composure. "Everything seems to be in order then ma'am." He said, before giving me a look. "I assume that you will vouch for him?"

"That I will." I said, nodding slightly.

"Then you and your charge are free to go." He said, turning around and walking away.

"What did he mean, charge?" Kage asked me. I raised an eyebrow before handing him the amulet. Kage's eyes widened as he looked the necklace in the palm of his hand.

"Are you really...?" He asked, his voice trailing off as I nodded in conformation.

"As such," I said, starting to walk away, "I have taken responsibility for you." Kage scrambled after me as I walked over to the others. "And you will now have to be on your best behavior, and learn to function with me as your superior and partner, until I have fully cleared you with the rest of the Magic Council."

"Thank you." Kage said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "For actually giving me a second chance."

"I'm just doing my job." I said, not even looking at him. "As one of the elite, I sometimes need to make calculated decisions and judgements in split seconds." I looked at him, scrutinizing him with slightly narrowed eyes. "I have never been wrong Kage." I said slowly. "Don't make me a liar, cause you won't like me when I'm angry." My eyes deepened into a glare as he started to sweat slightly. I turned away, leading him towards Master. "Master!" I called out. Makarov looked at me, and his eyes widened slightly as he saw Kage behind me.

"I take it you've roped in another one, eh Vega?" He asked, me, raising an eyebrow at my slightly sheepish smile.

"Got it in one Master." I said, a guilty look on my face. I grabbed Kage's arm, dragging him forwards. "This is Kageyama, though he prefers Kage, He's a Shadow Mage, and I'd like for him to join the Guild."

Master didn't reply immediately. Instead, he walked around Kage, inspecting him briefly as the younger man stiffened in anticipation. "Well young man," He said, stopping in front of him with a stern look. "As long as Vega can vouch for you, welcome to Fairy Tail." Kage looked shocked as I smiled.

"I'll get Mira Jane to give him his mark as soon as we get back Master." I informed him happily.

Master nodded. "Be sure that you do Vega." He said.

"Dante!" I yelled. The purple he-cat looked up at me. "It's time to go!" He nodded and sprouted his wings, flying up to my shoulder. "We'll see you all back at the Guild!" I yelled back as we started to walk away.

* * *

It took us two full days to walk back to Magnolia, and that was including the nights that we stopped to sleep, and the time it took for us to hunt down our dinner each night.

"So this is Magnolia." Kage said as we walked through the streets. "Nice place."

"It's always been a relatively peaceful town." I said, watching the various children running through the streets, and waving to those who called out greetings to me. "Fairy Tail is renowned as one of the strongest Guilds in the land, and though we do have a tendency to cause destruction from time to time, most consider it carrier suicide to intentionally provoke us." I said.

Kage looked at me with wide eyes. "And Erigor thought we could take you on without trouble because...?"

I sighed. "Erigor the Reaper was my one failure." I said as we turned down another street. "It was back in my early days as an S-Class Wizard, I hadn't really been promoted yet because I was still fine tuning my magic. The council asked for me specifically to hunt him down when he disregarded the ban on assassination missions, as they felt my skill set would be the perfect counter to his."

Kage seemed confused. "And that skill set is...?"

I chuckled at his naivety. "As a Celestial Dragon Slayer, I have access to the Celestial Forms of every element." I informed. Kage looked shocked. "While they aren't as powerful as the original forms, with the right training a Celestial Dragon Slayer can be utterly devastating with their wide variety of attacks."

Kage seemed intrigued. "I've never thought about it like that before." He admitted.

"It was also because of the Celestial Gate Keys that Erigor had in his possession at the time." I continued, Kage raised an eyebrow in askance as I continued, switching over to lecture mode. "Most people are unaware, but as their are two sides to every kind magic. Celestial Spirit Magic is countered by it's darker counterpart, Celestial Demon Magic."

"Demon Magic?" Kage asked.

I nodded. "While they're origins and History are significantly darker than those of the Celestial Spirits, most Celestial Demons are actually kind souls that were struck down in extremely gruesome ways through no direct fault of their own. They are the darker half of the Celestial World, and the less powerful keys have only just recently begun reappearing."

"Why is that?" Kage asked as we crossed over a bridge.

"Celestial Mages were once widely known for their big hearts and their love of the Spirits and Demons as their partners. But as time went on, a large amount of Celestial Mages began to see the Spirits and Demons, not as partners, but as shields against attacks." My eyes narrowed as my fists clenched in anger. "Hydra, one of my Black Demon Keys, used to be a Silver Spirit Key." Kage's eyes widened as I held up the Black Key that was shaped into a serpent's tail. "She fell into the hands of a Dark Mage that abused her so heavily that her soul was twisted irreversibly. She was going to die, and if her sister constellation, Aquarius, hadn't plead for her sister's life, Hydra would have faded forever. The Celestial Demon King changed her into a Celestial Demon, partially fixing the damage done, but not completely reversing it. Hydra was never the same after that day, and since then she completely refuses to answer to any male of any age, no matter how pure of heart they are."

"So, you're..." Kage started.

"A Celestial Demon Mage," I finished, nodding. "The first in about two hundred years." Kage's eyes widened as I continued to explain. "Celestial Demon Magic is not considered Forbidden Magic anymore since I personally demonstrated it's uses, and introduced the Council to the Celestial Demon King himself. The King was able to set them straight about the Demons, and that was how Zeref's Demons were reclassified as False Demons."

"Vega really shocked them that day," Dante piped up, smiling at the shocked Shadow Mage. "Imagine their surprise when the Council figured out that they had been proven wrong by a girl barely a fourth of their head's age!"

I laughed, remembering the looks on their faces. Kage just looked amused. "The opposites of your magics would probably be Light Magic," I continued, getting back on topic. "And Sealing Magic. Fortunately Fairy Tail has neither of those at the moment, so your usual style shouldn't clash with anyone else's." I stopped and turned down one last street as Kage followed.

That was when Kage got his first look at the Guild Hall. I chuckled at the interest on his face as we walked up to the doors. "Kage," I said, turning to face him. He looked at me. "Before we go in there, there is one thing that you will need to know about the guild." Kage nodded, listening closely. "In Fairy Tail, we do not make allies, or have alliances, we make friends and protect each other because that is what family does. Fairy Tail is not a conventional Guild, we are a mismatched dysfunctional family, and we are proud of that fact." Kage gave me a small smile, before I pushed open the door...

...and revealed the madness inside.

"Of course," I said, casually ducking under a chair that was thrown in the brawl. Kage's mouth dropped open in shock. "We also have a tendency to fight like wild dogs over a scrap of meat..."

"Hey Mira!" I said, flagging down the Barmaid. "Grab the guild stamp and crack open the barrels! We're adding a new member to the family!" I clapped Kage on the shoulder as the Guild burst into cheers.


	32. Family

**Hey guys! So, the Lullaby Arc is over with, and now we are transitioning into the Galuna Island Arc. I know a lot of you are a little ticked that I haven't gotten further in the story, or haven't changed it all that much, but be patient. Everything will add up later.**

 **Also we get our first look at Laxus in this chapter! The Laxus x Vega romance will be slow burn for now, but that is on purpose. There are a few major factors that won't come to light until later.** **But I will hint on the romance thing. Dragons don't reach maturity until they turn twenty, and even then Mates challenge each other regularly. The same holds true for Slayers. Vega is only nineteen at this point, and Laxus is twenty three.**

* * *

Once he got used to the place, Kage actually fit in with Fairy Tail rather well. He struck up a tentative friendship with Team Shadow Gear, and it seemed like he was getting closer to our resident Wood Make Mage, Laki Olietta.

I would have warned him about what he was getting into, but I felt like it would be hilarious if he actually started dating her and found out.

It was about four days after we got back, that I was called to a meeting of the Magic Council in Era.

"The Eisenwald Guild may have been defeated, but that is only one small victory in the much larger battle."

"The number of dark guilds has been growing at quite an alarming rate."

"We have to come up with a plan to eliminate them all."

"But how would we do that?"

Gran Doma held Lullaby in his hand. "However it's done, we cannot allow Zeref's Magic to fall into the wrong hands again."

"I don't understand how Eisenwald was able to obtain a tool of forbidden magic in the first place!"

"I hate to say it, but the blame may extend all the way to the highest levels."

"Whatever the case," Simon interjected. "Although they're usually just a thorn in our sides it seems Fairy Tail proved to be quite useful."

"They took down an entire guild with just a handful of Wizards. That is quite a feat."

I was getting more annoyed with every second as they kept talking like I wasn't there. I stayed silent, waiting for the right moment to make myself known again. My eyes narrowed as Simon started talking about politics among our members. But my moment came when someone suggested bringing in a member to stand trial.

 **"Absolutely** **not."** I said, my voice crisp and clear as I invoked my celestial voice. They all shut up in an instant. " **I supposed it falls to me to** _ **remind**_ **you that without my Guild Mates the Masters would be dead right now.** **I suppos** **e** **with your grandstanding** **over the years** **, you have all forgotten what it's like to be the little people in this situation.** **T** **he people of Fiore already fear us,** **they fear what we might do,** **what we could do if we find them guilty."** I glared at them, making them flinch back as my eyes turned to slits. **"** **I accepted the invitation** **to join the council** **so that** **I** **could prove to the people that we still cared about their well being. But using a member of my own Guild** **as a scapegoat** **is not something I will condone, or tol** **e** **rate."** My glare was stony as the Council Members started to sweat. **"** **If you attempt to** **bring in one of my guild members, I will** **know** **who to go after in retr** **i** **bution."** My glare zeroed in on Simon, who flinched as my eyes started to glow. "If that is all..." I said, looking around. "Then I will present my account of the attack as a credible and reliable witness and defending participant." I walked forwards, taking my place in the center of the circle. "The attackers were comprised of a single dark guild who's members were grossly misinformed of Lullaby's true nature. Erigor The Reaper, the mastermind behind the attack, did not directly unseal the artifact."

"Then tell us Cosmitella," Gran Doma said. "Who was it?"

"The one responsible has already been taken into my custody." The other members were in an uproar as the words left my mouth. **"Silence!"** I roared. They shut up in a hurry. "The Dispeller had no idea how dangerous the artifact in question was." I said calmly after they calmed down. "the Dispeller showed genuine shock at the demon's true appearance, and when confronted slightly before that with the still inactive artifact, backed down immediately." My face remained impassive as their faces turned stony. "They have shown remorse, and as such they will be on probation under my watch until further notice."

Gran Doma's face was impassive as he looked at me. "Very well Vega," He said to the shock of the other members. "I trust you will report their progress regularly?" I nodded. "Then the matter is closed, and as such, so is this meeting. Thank you all for attending. Vega," He said, catching my attention. "I would like to speak you further about these matters."

The rest of the members stepped off of their platforms and left. Dante hesitated for a moment, looking back at me uncertainly. I nodded slightly, and he nodded back before flying out the door.

"This dispeller you spoke of," Gran Doma started. "Are you sure that they regret their actions?"

I deadpanned at him. "Gran Doma, I have never been wrong about things like this." I informed him matter-of-factly. He nodded in reluctant agreement. "I am not wrong, and the Dispeller has been settling in quite nicely where I placed them."

"Can you at least tell me their gender?" Gran Doma asked, sounding exasperated and slightly annoyed.

"He's actually developing a small crush on one of the resident Mages." I said, smiling conspiratorially. "Everyone around them is cheering him on, and pitying him at the same time."

"Oh?" Gran Doma said, smiling slightly. "And why is that?"

I gave him an innocent smile. "Because the Mage in question's room is filled to the brim with medieval torture devices. Currently the betting pool is 5-2 odds that he only finds out about the stuff after they start dating."

Gran Doma's eyes widened, before he started to chuckle. "I wish him the best of luck then," he said, smiling at me. "And pray that he will not piss her off too badly."

"I hope he does." I said, turning to walk away with my grin still in place. "He'll win me a lot of money if that happens!"

I walked out to the sound of Gran Doma's roaring laughter.

* * *

When Dante and I got back to the Guild, Natsu and Erza were already fighting each other.

Erza was equip with her Flame Empress Armor, and Nastu had his fists lit on fire.

"20 Jewel on Erza for the win." I said, slipping Cana the bills with a wink.

"You got it Vega!" She said, putting my cash into the pot.

Natsu flipped out of the way of Erza's sword, and fired a roar at her. Erza dodged even as Natsu attempted to keep up with his fire, accidentally aiming at our guild mates.

Natsu canceled the flames, reigniting his fists as Erza rushed at him. She blocked the flames with her sword, surprising Natsu long enough to sneak in a kick to his ribs, sending him flying back.

"And that's that." I said, getting up to check on Natsu.

"Ah man!" He said, groaning as I pulled him to his feet. "I lost again!"

"Well at least you lasted longer than last time!" I said cheerfully, ruffling his hair jokingly. "Now come on little brother," I said, dragging him inside. "I have money to collect!"

We walked inside. "HEY ERZA! I WANNA REMATCH!" he yelled, leaping towards the red head.

"I'm not in the mood right now." Erza said irritably.

"I'M NOT LETTIN' YOU OFF THE HOOK THAT EASY!" Natsu yelled as he started running towards her.

"I swear," Erza muttered as she stood up calmly, and sucker punched him in the gut, knocking him out cold. "How's that? Are you satisfied?" She asked cheerfully.

"Feel better now?" Jellal asked her curiously.

"Much." She said with a smile.

Everyone started laughing.

"Way to go champ!" Gray said.

"Guess we know who the real man is!" Elfman said.

"Nice going Natsu!" Erik joked.

I shook my head in joking exasperation, until something swept through the guild.

Suddenly, Mira dropped to the floor, unconscious, and one by one the rest of the guild followed. Master and I were only mildly affected, and I could sense someone on the second foor was still awake.

 _ **He**_ walked into the guild like this was normal, and briefly stopped in front of the Master.

"Mystogan." Master said. The masked Mage walked over to the job board, before pulling off a job.

"I shall return." He said, stopping in front of the Master again.

"No wait!" Master called out. "Lift your sleeping spell before you leave."

Mystogan nodded, before looking over at me. "Mystogan." I said, nodding politely.

"Vega." He greeted, nodding back.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1." He counted down as he walked towards and out the door.

Everyone snapped back to awareness as he faded into the light.

"Oh man, was Mystogan here?"

"What a jerk."

"Does he have to put us to sleep every time he comes here?" Levi asked.

"Who's this Mystogan guy?" Lucy asked, still shaking off the sleep spell.

"For one he's a contender for Fairy Tail's strongest wizard." Elfman said.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah," Gray said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "And for some reason he doesn't want anyone to see what he looks like. So whenever he comes here to take a job he casts a sleeping spell."

"That's kinda creepy." Lucy said.

"He has his reasons." Erik said, as he stretched. Bella was on his shoulder, still snoozing away.

"Master Makarov's the only person here who's ever gotten a good look at his face." He said, glancing over at the Master.

"That's not true!" A voice rang out. "I've seen him before."

Our heads snapped up, to see a rare face on the second floor. "Laxus!" Elfman said, surprised.

"Talk about rare!" Macaow said.

"You're never here." Wakaba said.

"And here's another contender..." Gray said.

Laxus looked as striking as ever, with his spiky sunshine blond hair, and dark lightning bolt shaped scar over his right eye. His signature black cloak that was trimmed with grey fur was around his shoulders, partiality obscuring his dark yellow dress shirt that was decorated with brown leopard spots, and his red jeans. The new sound pods I had given him for his last birthday were on his ears, and even from my spot on the ground floor I could just barely make out the sounds of them playing his favorite music, classic rock. A smaller figure sat on the rails next to him.

Chui was odd for a Exceed, as she seemed more like a leopard than the standard housecat with her coloration and attitude. She was dressed in an adorable two-toned blue dress that had transparent sleeves that partially covered her upper arms. A black necklace set with a forest green gem that matched her eyes was around her neck, a birthday present from Dante.

"Mystogan's just a little shy." He said, a cocky grin on his face as I watched him with a raised eyebrow. "You should all respect his privacy." His blue-grey eyes met my own, and his smirk seemed to widen as my eyes narrowed.

"You can't blame them for being curious Laxus." Chui said, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "It's only natural."

I nodded in agreement as Natsu popped up.

"Alright Laxus! You and me! Right now!" He challenged.

I shook my head and Gray spoke up. "Gettin' your butt kicked once today wasn't enough?" He asked.

"Yeah pal." Laxus agreed. "If you can't even win against the red head, why bother with me?"

A black aura surrounded Erza as she got mad. " **What** **are you trying to say** **?!** " She demanded, her voice going slightly demonic.

"No need to get all worked up Erza!" Gray said, trying in vain to calm her down.

Erza's black aura of doom receded as Jellal put his hands on her shoulders and said something I couldn't catch.

"I'm sayin that I'm the guild's strongest wizard!" Laxus said cockily.

"Then come down and prove it!" Natsu challenged angrily.

"You come to me little man!" Laxus snarled back.

"With pleasure!" Natsu said, running towards the stairs. Gramps threw out a fist, and it expanded rapidly, crushing Natsu before he could reach the first step.

"You're not allowed on the second floor Natsu." he said, not even looking at my hotheaded brother. "At least not yet."

Lucy looked shocked as Laxus chuckled. "Think you made him grumpy." He teased, making Natsu angrier.

"Shut up!" Natsu growled, struggling to get out from under Gramp's fist.

"That enough out of you Laxus!" Gramps said, his voice hard and unforgiving.

Laxus ignored him. "The most powerful one in the Guild isn't a chick or some hooded wierdo." His teeth sharpened as he pointed a thumb at himself. "You're lookin right at him!"

Everyone glared, until I started to chuckle.

"You really have gotten a little too cocky over the years, Laxus." I said, stepping forwards until I was right below him. "Claiming that you're the strongest, when you're only an **S** **S** -Class." I smirked as his eyebrow started to twitch. "Face it," I said, smiling in triumph as he started to growl lowly. "Guildarts and I are much stronger than you will ever be."

"I don't think so Vega." He shot back. "Personally I think people are overestimating you."

"Well, maybe I'm holding back." I countered, quirking an eyebrow. "Besides, we'll never know if you never fight anyone in the guild anymore."

"Well maybe I will, starting with you." He said, a dark shadow on his face for a second as my own eyes turned stony.

"Is that a challenge?" I growled, my voice full of authority that made everyone around me take a step back.

"No." He said after a second, his eyes softening slightly. "At least, not yet."

"Go home Laxus." I said. "I think there's been enough posturing tonight."

He chuckled, before disappearing into the shadows of the second floor again.

* * *

It was later that evening that I was confronted by the questions.

Erza, who was curious about my amulet.

"So why did you have the symbol of the top four?" She asked.

I sighed. "I didn't want anyone in the Guild to actually know just yet." I said, crossing my arms over my chest as we retreated to my office on the second floor. "The top four wizard saints are four of the most powerful wizards in the land. Everyone here would look at me differently, and treat me differently if they knew I was that powerful." Erza nodded in thoughtful acceptance. "Besides, it's not like anyone would really find out unless I told them. The Wizard Saints are highly secretive about the top four, and even though I'm a part of them, I'm not really familiar with any of the other's abilities, other than Second."

"Second?" Erza asked.

"Rana Justine." I said. Erza's face turned to shocked recognition. "Yup, Rana managed to fight her way up to Number 2. She was pretty ticked that she couldn't claim the top spot though."

"And where do you stand?" Erza asked curiously.

"That would be telling." I said, smiling at her.

* * *

The second person to come to my office, was Erik, with permission from Gramps.

"You said you would explain." He said simply.

I nodded, and opened one of the drawers of my desk to pull out a worn and aged book.

"I was presented with this after the Magic Council did a blood test on me." I handed it to Erik, who held it gingerly. "This is the journal of a direct member of my birth family."

Erik gasped at the name written in the front cover. "Are you really...?"

"A member of her family? Yes." I said, nodding. "This is her account of Zeref's story, his **real** story, not the one that we know today."

"Would you mind if I borrowed this?" He asked, not looking up from the book.

"No I don't." I said. "As long as you promise to take care of it."

"I promise." He said, before leaving. "I'll see you back at the house."

* * *

My third and final visitor, was Kage.

"What did you mean, that you were holding back?" He asked.

"I was telling the truth. If I had unleased my full power on Lullaby, I could have leveled everything around us for miles." I said nonchalantly as I started going through the paperwork on my desk. I looked up at him briefly, seeing his startled eyes. "I always hold back against humans, because I fight to disable, not to kill. It's part of what makes me human." I looked over at him, my eyes turning cold. "And the moment you start enjoying killing is the day that you cease to be human." I informed him. "That's why I only fight all out against Fairy Tail's Ace, and my fellow Wizard Saints." His head shot up. "They are the only one's who can handle the pure power I give off when it comes to that."

Kage's eyes shone with uncertainty for a moment, like he was struggling with something, before he spoke. "Why did you save me then?" He asked.

"Because I looked at you, and I saw what many of our Guild Mates could have been." I said simply. "I saw a young man that had been led down the wrong path, and didn't know how to leave it behind."

"So why me? Why not any of the others?" he asked.

My answer shocked him.

"Because out of all of the others, you were the only one I saw that didn't have those eyes. The eyes of a killer. I saw someone who could been one of us"

"A Fairy?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

I shook my head with a small laugh. "A member of the family." I said.

Kage's eyes started to water a little. "Thanks." He said simply, looking at me with grateful eyes.

"Don't thank me Kageyama." I said, looking back down at my paperwork. "Prove me right."

Kage nodded, got up, and left.

I smiled and looked up as he shut the door, then looked back down at the special request on my desk.

A personal request from the supposedly cursed citizens of the fabled Galuna Island...


	33. The Cursed Island

**Hey guys! It's me again! This is the first in a mass update! I'm planning on getting through all of the Galuna Island Arc in this!**

 **Alright, I don't own Fairy Tail, the Black Keys, or the White Keys. Fairy Tail belongs to whoever wrote it, the Black Keys belong to _fairytailcrossover_ , and the White Keys are taken from various anime! Believe me, if I tried to claim them, they would have mutinied in a second.**

 **On to the story!**

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this Vega?" Gramps asked as I showed him the request.

"Gramps," I said, sighing. "We've had this conversation before. I know what I'm getting into, and I know the risks involved. I am fully prepared to take on the Job."

"But bringing Kage with you?!" Gramps asked. "He is not an S-Class!"

"But he is under my jurisdiction!" I countered, making Gramps fall silent. "Kage knows what he's getting into as well, and he will watch by back as I complete the job. I won't allow him to fight for more than self defense, and he knows this. He's my partner until his parole is up, and he knows exactly what I would do to him if he betrays me."

"….Alright." Gramps sighed. "But I want to know, why are you so adamant to take this job?" he asked, looking at me with serious eyes.

I handed him the personal request, and his eyes widened in understanding as he looked at it.

"I understand." he said, handing it back. "But all I ask of you is to come back in one piece."

"I will gramps." I promised.

"Kage!" I yelled over the noise of the Guild. The black haired man looked up at me. "Go home and pack your gear, we've got permission!"

Kage nodded, before he shadow traveled out of the Guild.

* * *

We met at the train station early the next morning.

"So what's the story?" Kage asked.

"Galuna Island." I started. "A supposedly cursed island that has been the home of a tribe of natural demons for years. I read about it in a member of my families journal, and she stated that while they were a little shy, they're overall friendly to those who aren't scared of them. They dropped off the radar about three years ago, and haven't been heard from since. At least, they hadn't, until the job offer appeared on the S-Class board."

"What did the job ask for?" Kage prompted.

"It asked for an S-Class Mage powerful enough to destroy the Moon." I said nonchalantly.

"Destroy the Moon?" Kage asked, his voice filled with disbelief. "And you can that?" He asked.

"To the extent that they are asking for, yes." I said, completely confident. "The Cursed Moon that they are talking about, is actually just the regular old moon shining through a curse. I just need to break the curse, not the actual moon."

"Attention passengers, we're are approaching Hargeon Station!" The conductor announced over the intercom.

"This is our stop." I said, getting up as the train started to slow down. "From the port here, we meet up with the boat captain that will take us to Galuna."

"How will we know who he is?" Kage asked.

"He asked for me personally." I said, stepping off the train. We walked for a good hour to reach the harbor, and people left and right were watching us with interested eyes.

"Excuse me!" I yelled out, startling half of the sailors. "We're looking for a man named Bobo? He requested our help!"

"Yeah I know him!" One sailor yelled back. "He left just few minutes ago with a group of mages, they were heading towards _**that**_ island!"

" _ **That**_ Island?" I asked, confused for a moment before realization struck me. "Oh! You mean Galuna! But why would other mages be here? I was the S-Class that he asked for!"

"Not sure." the sailor said. "But that island is well known to be taboo waters around here. Not even pirates will go near it."

"Why?" I asked. "Why would you avoid an island at all costs?"

"Because of the curse there." The sailor said. "It states that anyone who sets foot on the island transforms into a hideous beast!"

"That's not true." I said. "I've read the older records, and it states that Galuna was the home of a tribe of Nature Demons that were friendly to humans."

"Weird." The Sailor said. "I've never heard that story before."

"Would anyone be willing to get us close to the island?" I asked. "We have methods of getting to the shore, but we still need to get close."

"I'll take you!" Another sailor spoke up. "My family has sailed those waters for generations, I know them like the back of my hand! I'll get you close enough, but I won't actually dock there."

"Understood." I said, nodding.

* * *

It was morning again by the time we got to the island. Dante decided to fly Kage across the water, since he couldn't shadow travel through water….

...Me on the other hand, well, I had brought my necklace.

You should have seen the looks on their faces when I lept into the water, and sprouted a tail.

"YOU'RE A MERMAID?!" Kage yelled in shock as I walked out of the water on two legs again.

"Nope!" I said, confusing him further as the sailor looked at me in awe. "But I am friends with a pod of them on the west coast. The necklace was a gift."

"So **that** was the treasure you got from that job!" Dante realized. "That's pretty cool!"

"Yeah." I said nodding. "They let me keep it after I got rid of a bunch of sirens that were snatching the mermen and the sailors from a nearby town."

"Interesting." Kage said. "Does it only work for you?" He asked.

"Don't know," I said, turning to walk inland. "I haven't had the time to test it on someone else."

Kage and I stopped short when we hit a cleared section of the jungle. "This looks like a path up from the beach." Kage said, looking at the footprints on the packed earth.

"We're definitely going in the right direction then." I said. "Let's follow it. It might lead us to the village."

"So Vega?" Dante started. "Do you think the villagers have any chicken?" He asked, starting to drool slightly.

I shook my head in exasperation. "And you're always getting on Happy about his fish addiction." I laughed, making him smile sheepishly.

"Well at least I balance it out with other meats!" He defended. "And the occasional veggies too!"

"Yeah," I agreed. "But you still try to eat it every chance you get!" I teased. "And don't think I don't remember how you asked Chui to go out with you the first time!" Dante started to blush as I laughed.

"Okay! This I have to hear!" Kage said, laughing slightly.

"You got it!" I said, as Dante tried to cover up his blush. "So, you know how Dante, Bella, Happy, and Chui were all born on the same day?" Kage nodded, no doubt having heard the story before. "Well the thing is, Dante has had a thing for Chui since they were born."

"Wow, long time for a crush." He teased.

"So about a year ago, Dante comes up with this fool proof plan to get Chui to notice him, and on their birthday he presents her with a full roasted chicken, and asks her if she will go out with him!" Kage started to laugh as Dante's face turned cherry red. "We she replies that she thinks it's sweet that he asked her, but she doesn't like Chicken!"

Kage laughed harder as Dante smacked me on the head. "She still agreed to the date though." I said, finishing the story as the path started to disappear. "Her only request was to ask that instead of chicken for dinner, like he originally planned, if they could go to that cute Italian place not far from the guild."

Kage finally stopped laughing when a large gate came into view. "Think this is the place?" He asked, looking up at the top of the wall.

"This is the place." I said. "HELLO!" I yelled out.

"WHO GOES THERE?!" A voice yelled down.

"THIS IS TEAM DARK STAR OF FAIRY TAIL RESPONDING TO YOUR JOB REQUEST!" I yelled back.

"Dark Star?" Kage asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well yeah." I said with a shrug. "You're the darkness. I'm the star. It makes sense." He nodded in understanding.

"THEN WHY WEREN'T WE NOTIFIED WHEN YOU ACCEPTED THE JOB?!" The voice yelled.

"WE ONLY TOOK THE JOB TWO DAYS AGO!" I yelled back. "YOU WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN THE CONFORMATION THIS FAR OUT THAT QUICKLY!"

"PROVE IT THEN!" The guard demanded. "SHOW US YOUR EMBLEMS!" I turned around, revealing the purple mark between my shoulder blades, as Dante lifted his shirt to show the mark on his chest. Kage rolled up the sleeve of his shirt, showing the black Guild mark on his inner left forearm.

"THEY'RE HERE!" The guards yelled out. "THEY'RE REALLY HERE!"

The gate opened, and together the three of us walked into the village. I was momentarily confused as we were surrounded by cloaked figures.

"I am Moka the village chief, and on behalf of everyone here I welcome you." A hunched over cloaked figure carrying a staff with a stone moon set on it said. "Pleasantries aside, there's something you need to see! Now my people!" The villages began to drop their cloaks, revealing demonic limbs and appendages, and odd characteristics.

"Wow," I said, approaching the chief. "May I…?" I asked, motioning to his arm.

"It's alright." He said, extending it towards me so I could examine it. "Everyone on the Island has suffered horrible disfigurements because of this curse." He informed as Kage and Dante looked around. "Not even the animals have been spared!"

"Chief!" The guards yelled down, surprising us. "There are more Wizards at the gate! They also claim they are part of Fairy Tail!"

My eye narrowed. "There shouldn't be anyone else coming." I said quietly. The chief seemed startled as he caught my words. "Let them in if they show the marks." I advised. "If someone is here from my Guild, then they are probably legitimate."

Man, was I shocked at who walked through the gate.

Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Happy….

"And just _**what**_ are you four doing here?" I demanded, crossing my arms as I glared.

* * *

"So let me get this straight." I said, my voice hard as the present members of Team Natsu cowered before me. "You two," I pointed fingers at Natsu and Happy. "Thought it would be a good idea to seal a job off the S-Class board because it had a higher payout and you!" I pointed towards Lucy. "Were talked into it by these dimwits because they agreed to split the money with you 50-50." Lucy nodded, looking ashamed. "You!" I said, finally pointing to Gray. "Were roped into this when they knocked you out and kidnapped you when you were sent to bring them back because they weren't approved S-Class Mages, and because I had already taken the Job." Gray nodded, relaxing slightly.

" _ **ARE YOU TWO COMPLETE IDIOTS?!"**_ I roared, staring down my little brothers with a pissed off snarl, and a little Alpha Magic. "Just because you think your strong enough Natsu doesn't mean you are!" I yelled, grabbing and pulling his ear until he yelped in pain. "I thought I taught you better than that!" He whimpered as Dante tackled Happy to the ground. "And as for you!" I growled, pointing towards the struggling Exceed. "No fish for a month when we get back to the Guild!" Happy screeched in denial as I looked towards Lucy and Gray. "Lucy," I said, calming down slightly. "I know you aren't stupid, but why would you let them talk you into this?" She just rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as I released Natsu, and rounded on Gray. "And don't think you're off the hook mister!" I said pointing towards him as he tensed nervously. "When we get back to the Guild, I'm handing you over to Erza!" I sighed heavily, rubbing my nose as I thought the situation over. "Well, there's no point in sending you back now." I said finally. "But none of you four will be seeing a single cent of the reward, or receiving any of the credit." They started to protest until I glared at them again. "The Job was already taken by Kage and I before you took off Natsu. As it stands, you are interfering in S-Class matters." My brother shut up quickly at that, turning pale as I started to leak out more Alpha Magic. "And as such, you are stuck with us now, and **will** face the consequences when we get home."

I turned back to the village chief, who had been watching this whole time with an amused look. "Moka, please continue with your tale. We need clues as to what is going on here."


	34. Galuna's Curse

**Part Two in the massive update! Sorry the chapter's are kinda short, but I'm planning on making the chapters for the Phantom Lord Arc at least 3,000 words apiece.**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, or the Black Keys, or the White Keys. Fairy Tail belongs to whoever the hell wrote it, the Black Keys threatened to disembowel me if I didn't tell you that they belong to _fairytailcrossover_ , and the White Keys get pretty pissed if I don't tell you that they're from various anime.**

* * *

Moka took a breath before repeating what he had already told Kage and I.

"Please excuse me for asking," Gray started. "But what makes you think that it's a curse sir? It could be some kind of infectious disease." I shook my head at his explanation, already knowing the answer.

"We've consulted with dozens of doctors young man," Moka stated dejectedly. "But they all agree that no such disease exists. You see our symptoms began around the same time the moon fell under an evil spell."

"What kind of spell?" Lucy asked.

"Since ancient times this island has absorbed the light of the moon, causing it to glow almost as beautifully as the moon itself. However, several years ago, the moon's color began to change, and a eerie purple glow was cast upon the island." Moka explained as I closed my eyes in thought.

"So the moon turned purple?" Natsu asked.

Happy gasped, causing my eyes to fly open. "It's coming out from behind the clouds." He said, slightly scared. I looked up, and sure enough the moon was peaking out from behind the clouds, casting an unnatural purple light around us.

"Oh wow," Lucy whispered. "It really is purple."

"Man that's creepy lookin." Gray commented.

"I've never seen anything like it..." Kage stated, looking up at the phenomenon with appraising eyes.

"It's the curse..." Moka moaned. "Stand back, the change is about to begin!" I stepped away from him, as the villagers started to scream in pain.

"Whoa!" Lucy said, jerking back in shock. "What the?!"

One by one, each of the villagers began to transform, changing into what I, Kage, and Dante knew was their true forms.

"They're changing." Gray said, looking like he was going to run at the slightest threat.

"Yeah, I see that!" Lucy yelled back.

"Why is this happening to them?" Natsu asked, not taking his eyes off the villagers.

After a few minutes, they had finally completed the transformations, and had relaxed again. "I'm sorry if out appearance frightens you." Moka apologized.

"I've seen worse Moka." I said, examining him. Moka had taken on the form of a purple demon with black spots and interesting horns.

"It's alright." Gray said, looking slightly gob smacked. "I'm just completely confused."

"You poor people." Lucy said, putting a hand to her chin as she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh man," Natsu said, before his eyes lit up. "You guys look so COOL!"

Everyone went silent as Kage, Dante, and I face palmed.

"Natsu." I said, interrupting what I knew was probably going to be a rant on how awesome they looked. "Focus on the Job." I said, glaring at him.

"Anyway," Moka continued. "As you have witnessed whenever the purple moon shows his face in the sky, everyone in the village takes on a horrific demon form." A couple of the villagers started to cry. 'If it isn't a curse, then what else could it possibly be?! We'll return to normal once the morning comes and the sun has risen, however there are some poor souls that can not switch back to their human forms, for they have lost their minds. The fate for them, these unfortunate souls in the grip of madness, we've no choice but to put them to death."

The other's gasped in horror as I looked down in sad regret. "But they might change back to normal someday!" Natsu said.

Moka closed his eyes in regret. "If we wait for that to happen the monsters will surely kill us all. We've tried capturing them, but they always broke free. It's no use." Tears started to fall from his eyes as he pulled out a photo with shaking hands. "Once it takes hold there is no way to save them." His voice shook and cracked as he spoke. "I should know. I was forced to kill my very own son..."

The others caught sight of the photo, and gasped in recognition. "That's the guy," Lucy said. "From the boat! But we just saw him yesterday he-"

Gray cut her off. "Now I understand why he disappeared on us like that." He said, starting to sweat a little. "He's dead, but his soul can't rest in peace." Lucy looked horrified.

"Please lift the evil curse from our island." Moka begged, bowing to me. "If this goes on much longer, we may all fall victim to it. We'll die!"

"We're not gonna let that happen!" Natsu said angrily. "We can fix this, I promise."

"There's only one way this retched curse cam be lifted." Moka said. "The moon must be wiped from the sky!"

"The moon is not the cause of the curse." I said as Kage, Dante, and I lounged in our room that night.

Kage looked over at me. "How can you be sure?" he asked.

"Think about it." I said. "The Islanders are actually Nature Demons." I explained, moving to the bathroom and shutting the door so I could get changed for the night. "I know that for certain from my family's journal."

"But they all looked and acted like normal humans." Kage countered, no doubt changing as well. "They seem to think that they **are** normal humans."

"That's the thing." I continued, walking out in my old white tank top, and my pale blue pajama pants. "I'm not sure that the curse is what they say it is."

Kage looked deep in thought as he laid down on his cot. "You think that they might be cursed to think that they're human?" He asked, looking over at me.

"That's exactly what I'm thinking." I said, laying down on my cot on the opposite side of the room. Dante walked over to me and settled down beside me for the night. "Maybe whatever's happening here... wasn't actually supposed to affect the villagers at all..."

"That's a big assumption." Dante commented, yawning as he snuggled into my neck.

"Yeah..." I said, trailing off as I nodded off.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and clear, with beautiful blue skies as far as the eye could see.

"It's so early." Natsu said, yawning.

"Yeah, I'm never up at this time." Gray agreed.

"You two kept me up all night, and I'm not complaining!" Lucy snapped.

"Stop whining." I said, walking up to the two of them with Kage. The two of us had risen with the sun that morning, unable to sleep any longer thanks to our magic. "It's time to get moving," I said, starting to walk into the jungle. "We need to find the source of the dark magic before night falls again." I looked over my shoulder at them. "We're on a strick time limit guys, so we're going to have to split up. Natsu, Happy, Gray, Lucy, you guys are one group, and you'll search the north half of the island. The rest of us will take the south half. Natsu," I said, turning to my brother, "Let off a Roar if you find anything."

"Right." They said.

We separated, Kage, Dante and I crossing over the river, as the others wandered into the forest.

Closing my eyes, I let my senses branch out, feeling through the aura of the island for the source of the dark magic as Kage and Dante watched my back. My eyes shot open as I felt something malicious brush up against me.

"To the north." I said, coming back to myself while keeping my senses locked on the source. "That's where it's anchored." I leapt to my feet, whirling around in the direction we needed to go. I looked up at the sky, seeing the sun directly overhead. "How long was I under?" I asked Dante.

"About two hours. It's almost noon." He informed. Dante and I had worked out a long time ago how to unconsciously detect the time with out magic.

"We need to move then." I said, grabbing Kage's arm as Dante leapt onto my shoulder. "Do you get motion sickness?" I asked him.

He shook his head, confused as I smirked. "Well, you're about too!" I flashed him a smile as we started to glow. **"** **Star Sprint!"**


	35. Deliora

**Part three in the mass update! We're about to see Deliora for the first time...**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, the Black Keys, or the White Keys. The Lawyers have threatened to set the Human Resource Squirrels on my ass if I don't tell you that The Black Keys belong to _fairytailcrossover,_ The White Keys belong to various anime, and Fairy Tail belongs to whomever wrote it.**

* * *

When we touched down, Kage seemed more than a little green around the gills, until we saw the destruction...

"What happened here?" I said, looking out over the caved in floor.

Cautiously, Dante winged his way over to the edge of the pit. "This just recently happened..." he said, running a paw over the snapped off edges. "Bet you 10 jewel Natsu did it." He said, looking over at me.

"Sucker's bet," I replied, crossing my arms as I thought. "They must be down in the cave system." I realized.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Kage said, melting into shadows. I shook my head with a laugh as I leapt down after him. Kage didn't know it yet, but he was acting more and more like a member of Fairy Tail every day. I had little doubt that once his parole was up, he would stay in the Guild.

I landed on my feet as Kage melted out of the shadows beside me and Dante swooped down to land on my shoulder. "Well," I said sniffing the air around us. "They're not dead, that's for sure." I smiled, before pointing down a passage way. "They walked down that way only a few minutes ago-"

I was cut off as Gray's voice roared out, betraying the panic in his voice. _"_ _WHAT THE HELL IS IT DOING ON GALUNA IS_ _LA_ _ND?!"_

I bolted down the passage, with Kage and Dante on my heels. As we got closer, the smell of melting ice filled my nose along with another scent that I didn't recognize immediately...

...Demon.

When we got there, I saw something that would haunt my nightmares for awhile.

Deliora, the Demon of Destruction in all it's glory, completely incased in ice.

"Oh god." I whispered, horrified. Kage's eyes widened, taking on a degree of fear. Dante's eye narrowed as he put a paw on the hilt of his sword.

Not far away from us, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy were trying to calm down Gray, who was breathing erratically.

"Easy Gray, calm down." I said, wrapping my arms around him from behind.

"When did you guys get here?" Natsu asked. I shook my head at him.

Gray finally started to breath normally again. "Now, can you tell us about it?" Lucy asked, looking at him with worried eyes.

"That's Deliora." Gray said, his voice low with rage. "The Demon of destruction."

"Demon of construction?" Natsu asked.

"DE-struction." Happy corrected.

"But why is it, here?" Gray asked, his voice leaking confusion. "It doesn't make any sense!"

We all whirled around as the sound of approaching footsteps reached our ears. Kage melted into the shadows as I dissolved into light. Dante flew upwards, grabbing onto a stalagmite, and blending with the rock. Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Happy dove behind a rock outcropping.

It was two men. The first had outrageously spiky blue hair, thick black eyebrows, and was wearing a dark and light green robe thing that was belted around his waist. The second looked almost like the demons of the island, as he was wearing a set of dog ears, and his five o' clock shadow was styled to look like a muzzle. He was shirtless, and wore blue jeans, a black belt, black shoes, and a black collar that had silver studs. "The voices seemed to come from down here." the blue haired one said as they walked forwards.

The dog-man just growled lowly and scratched his stomach. "I hate being awake during the day." The dog complained with a growl.

"So Toby, have you been exposed to the Moon-Drip? You've got those pointy ears." The blue haired one asked.

"I ALREADY TOLD YOU! THEY'RE A FASHION STATEMENT YOU JERK!" Toby snarled.

"Lighten up," Blue hair said. "I was just teasing you."

"You don't have to be so mean about it..." Toby grumbled.

My eye narrowed, plans already forming in my head as another set of footsteps approached.

The newcomer was a girl. She was wearing a dark blue dress that stopped short half way down her upper legs. The front of it was corset style, with dark blue straps covering a soft pink section. White frills trimmed the dresses edges, while two feather like bands trailed off the dark blue choker she wore around her neck. Dark blue boots stopped just above her knees and her hot pink hair was tied back into pigtails, leaving just two bangs to frame her face. "Yuka, Toby. Something terrible has happened." She announced, sounding depressed.

"What now Sherry?" Yuka asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"It Angelica." Sherry said, clasping her hands to her chest. "She's been attacked and I'm sad.

"YOUR MOPEING AROUND CAUSE SOMEONE BEAT UP YOUR STUPID PET RAT?!" Toby snarled.

"She's not a rat!" Sherry defended. "She's a brave hunter prowling the jungle to protect us. She is **love...** " I raised an eyebrow, holding in a snort.

"Intruders you say?" Yuka asked.

"And it's almost time to begin collecting moonlight again." Sherry said, stepping up to stand beside them. "Oh this makes me so sad." She turned to the others. "This news would displease the Cold Emperor. We should get rid of them before he finds out. Yes, we must find them before the moon's first light."

Yuka started to smirk. "Agreed." he said shortly.

Toby growled in agreement.

Sherry looked back at the frozen demon. "Since they've seen Deliora, we can't allow them to live. We'll give them the gift of eternal rest. We'll give them **love...** "

"You're talkin about death right?" Toby asked, sweat dropping.

With a swift movement, Dante pulled a bit of rock off his stalactite and threw it back down the passage. "What was that?" Sherry asked.

"Over there!" Yuka said, leading the way...

"Nice going Dante." I said, phasing back into sight. He nodded to me as everyone else came out of hiding.

"Come on! We should have grabbed them and beaten some answers out of em!" Natsu protested.

"Not yet." Lucy said. "We've gotta do some investigating."

"She's right." Kage said, dusting himself off. "We need to know more before we reveal ourselves."

"Man, this job keeps gettin' more and more complicated." Natsu complained as he crossed his arms in frustration.

"Right?" Happy agreed. "Like who is this Cold Emperor guy?"

"Deliora." Gray said, looking back up the frozen demon. "I still don't understand what anyone would want with it. And how the hell were they even able to find it?"

"Was it hidden somewhere?" Lucy asked curiously.

"It was sealed away." Gray explained. "Inside a glacier on the northern continent. A decade ago, this immortal demon ravaged Izvan. Countless people lost their lives. The woman who taught me how to use my magic, my master Ur, sacrificed everything to seal it away. I dunno if it has anything to do with the curse on this island," He clenched his fists as frost started to leak out. "But I do know that it doesn't belong here! This Cold Emperor, we have to find out who it is." His face twisted into a pissed off snarl. "If they tarnish my master's legacy, THEY'RE GONNA REGRET THE DAY THEY WERE BORN!"


	36. Moon Drip

**Part three of the mass update! By the way, I think I finally managed to figure out Vega's theme music!**

 **Black Star's theme from Soul Eater. 'Never loose myself.'**

 **You guys probably know by know that I don't own anything but Vega, Dante, Belladonna, and Chui right?**

* * *

"You sure this is the demon your master sealed away?" Natsu asked.

"There's no doubt about it." Gray answered, his voice tense and angry.

"I wonder why it was transported from the Northern Continent to Galuna island." Happy said.

"You don't think this demon could have something to do with the island's curse do you?" Lucy asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it did." Gray said. "It may be enclosed in ice, but that thing's still alive."

"Sweet!" Natsu said. "Give me a go at it! I ain't afraid of no stupid demon!" I face palmed at his utter stupidity

" **Natsu!** " I snapped, trying to get his attention on me. "We don't have time for this!"

"All little fire otta do the trick!" He continued, ignoring me. Gray snapped to attention then, his eyes cold with anger as he punched Natsu in the face, sending the pinkette flying back.

"GRAY JUST PUNCHED NATSU!" Happy yelled in shock.

"Well this wouldn't be the first time he's done that..." Lucy said. I shook my head in exasperation.

"This happens a lot between them, doesn't it?" Kage asked, looking at me.

"Unfortunately." Dante said as Natsu popped back up.

"What's the deal?!" Natsu yelled angrily. "What cha hit me for Gray?!"

"I don't want you and your flames anywhere near it!" Gray said. His face twisted into an enraged snarl. "If that ice melts and Deliora is revived, there's no way we'd be able to stop it."

"Come on!" Natsu said. "Do you really think a huge chunk of ice would be _that_ easy to melt?"

Gray looked startled for a moment, and he looked towards the floor as he thought. "No." He answered finally.

"Hey, you okay?" Lucy asked, putting a hand on his back.

"I'm the one that got hit for no good reason!" Natsu protested. "Watch your temper man!" He snapped at Gray.

"Please, you're one to talk." Happy said.

Gray took a deep breath. "Many years ago my master Ur, cast a spell called **Iced Shell** on this demon, enclosing it in a form of ice that can't be melted. It's so strong that even the most powerful flame spells have no effect on it."

" **Iced Shell?** " I asked, looking at him. "But doesn't that spell usually..." I trailed off at the look on his face, finally understanding exactly why he was so angry.

"If they knew that the ice couldn't be melted, then why did they bring it here?" He asked.

"Well maybe they didn't know." Lucy suggested. "They might have brought it here to try and melt it somehow."

"But why would they do that?!" Gray snarled.

"Um, I have no idea." Lucy said, cowering.

"I just don't get it." Gray said. "Who would bring Deliora here, and more importantly why?"

"That's what we need to figure out." I said.

"We need answers." Natsu said, surprisingly serious for once. "Let's go find those guys!" He started to turn down the passage.

"No." Gray said, stopping them in their tracks. "We're gonna stay here and wait." He said.

"Wait for what?" Happy asked.

"For the moon to come out." Gray said shortly.

"THE MOON?!" Natsu yelled. "BUT IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON!" He protested. "Forget that! If I have to hang out here all day I'll die of boredom!"

"Why does the moon matter?" Lucy asked curiously.

"I have a feeling that the curse on this island and Deliora are somehow connected to it." He explained, not taking his eyes off the demon. "And I heard those guys we saw earlier say something about collecting moonlight."

"I heard that too." Lucy said. "I guess waiting until nightfall's the only way we're gonna find out what's going on."

"I'M NOT WAITIN!" Natsu yelled, starting to spit fire. "WE GOT WORK TO DO!"

* * *

Natsu was out cold when Kage, Dante, and I left ten minutes later. We had all agreed to split up, and since Kage and I could move in the shadows and the light unseen, the two of us were the most logical choice.

Dante took to the air, staying high enough above that he didn't look like anything more than a speck. The three of us worked in tandem, scouting over the island for hours.

"Vega, Kage found something." Dante said, swooping down to alert me.

I nodded, and made my way over to where I sensed him. He was back at the old temple, crouched in the shadows of one of the rock spires.

"What's going on?" I asked, appearing next to him.

"I don't know." He said, keeping his eyes forward. "But I don't think they're here for a party." He said, nodding down.

Gathered in a circle, were about two dozen people in dark robes and hoods. "Let us begin the ritual." One of them intoned. They all extended their arms, completing the circle, and started chanting.

Dante flew down and landed on my shoulder as purple magic circles lit up the sky.

"My god." I whispered, finally understanding. "Moon Drip, I can't believe I didn't recognize it sooner. Focused moon energy can break any magical spell, but it can contaminate the body of man and demon."

"They're using it to melt the ice trapping Deliora." Kage said, as a river of moonlight poured down. "This is bad."

"Vega look!" Dante said, pointing down towards the edge of the circle. Gray, Natsu, Happy, and Lucy were hiding behind a rock outcropping. On the other side of it, a young man, about Gray's age, walked up.

He was wearing a ridiculous helmet that had a stylized demon jaw, and two dark curved horns. A large royal purple plume fell out of it, almost obscuring the snowy white locks that poked out of the bottom. He had on a white cloak that was edged in reddish gold. Underneath that, he wore black slacks that were tucked into armor boots, and a royal blue tunic that was trimmed with bright yellow. Toby, Yuka, and Sherry trailed behind him like ducklings.

My eyes narrowed into slits. "That's probably the Cold Emperor." I said, nodding towards him.

"Should we move?" Kage asked, his voice low.

"Not yet." I said, narrowing my eyes. "I have a feeling that there's more to this than what we can see on the surface."

My ears perked up, listening. "I'm afraid I some sad news Cold Emperor." Sherry began. "We thought we had intruders during the day, but it seems they got away somehow. I can not speak of love in this situation."

"Intruders?" Cold Emperor asked. "Has Deliora been awakened yet?"

"It should be later tonight or tomorrow sir." Sherry answered.

"WHICH ONE GIRL?!" Toby growled.

"The time has almost come." He intoned. "If you see those intruders again, kill them. I don't want anyone getting in my way."

A low growl slipped through my lips as Sherry spoke up. "They must have been the villagers. They're the only other people on this island."

"Then destroy the village." The Emperor ordered. My growl lifted into a full throated snarl.

"Yes sir." "Understood."

"It's a shame there has to be bloodshed." He said, not sounding guilty in the slightest.

"That's it." I growled. "We're ending this now Kage." I said, getting up to confront them...

...That's when Natsu gave us a distraction. He blew a huge fireball into the air and yelled, attracting everyone's attention. "IT'S NOT THE VILLAGERS, WE'RE THE INTRUDERS YOUR AFTER."

Kage and I just watched with wide eyes as Team Natsu confronted them.

"Jeeze. I guess there's no turning back now." Lucy said. She turned and argued with the girl behind her for a moment, before the girl disappeared. A spirit I suppose.

Sherry just looked at them for a moment. "I know that mark." She said. "They're from Fairy Tail!"

"Interesting." Yuka said. "Those villagers must have gone to the magical guilds for help."

"Don't worry about them." The Cold Emperor said, dismissing them without a second glance. "Go eradicate the village."

"Kage," I whispered. "Go warn the villagers, get them to safety, I'm not having any casualties on my head."

"Got it." He said, nodding as he melted into shadows. Once he was fully concealed, his pool of shadows raced away towards the village.

I turned back right as Gray and Natsu raced towards the Cold Emperor. "WHY YOU!" Gray yelled, his fists lighting up with his magic as he pushed himself into the air. "STOP THIS CRAZY CEREMONY RIGHT NOW!" He slammed his fists into the ground, sending up a wave of icicles. The Cold Emperor did the same, slapping his palm into the ground and making his own icicles collide with Gray's.

"LYON!" Gray growled. "How could you?" He asked, betrayal in his voice. "Do you have ANY idea what you're doing?!"

"Oh Gray." The now named Lyon said. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

"Why would you revive Deliora?!" Gray demanded.

"To think that you were one of the wizards, called to the island to help those poor villagers." Lyon continued as if Gray hadn't spoke. "Did you come knowing you would find me, or is this just mere coincidence? Not that it makes a difference to me."

"An acquaintance of yours Cold Emperor?" Yuka asked.

"Do as you were ordered." He said shortly. "I can handle the intruders on my own."

"Yes sir." The three of them said, disappearing.

"Hey! Wait come back here!" Natsu yelled at he tried to run after them.

"No Natsu don't go near him!" Gray yelled.

Lyon raised a hand, and ice surrounded Natsu, freezing every inch of his skin it touched. Natsu screamed in pain and shock.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled.

"Happy, get Lucy outta here!" Gray ordered.

"Aye!" Happy yelled, grabbing onto the Celestial Spirit Mage and flying as fast as his wings could carry him.

"Dante, go with them." I said. He nodded and took off, trailing behind them.

Gray sent a column of ice at Lyon, forcing him to break his concentration on Natsu to form a shield.

"What?! No! I can't move!" Natsu yelled as the ice solidified.

"You distracted me long enough for the girl and the cat to get away." Lyon pointed out. "Chivalrous, but ultimately pointless. There's no way those two can stop my minions."

"Don't underestimate the power of Fairy Tail wizards." Natsu said. "Now-"

Natsu was cut off when Gray kicked him off the cliff. I held back a chuckle as Natsu bounced and rolled out of sight, screaming in anger and embarrassment the whole way.

"I see you're as reckless as ever." Lyon said. "Was he not one of your allies?"

"You and I both know that with one spell you could blow up that ice and him with it." Gray countered.

"So you chose to send him safely outside the range of my magic." Lyon finished. "That was a very clever move."

"I don't understand why you're tryin to pull the superior act with me Lyon." Gray snapped. "You're NOT! WE'RE NOT UR'S STUDENTS ANYMORE!"

"I'm well aware of that!" Lyon said, reaching for his helmet. "Painfully aware." He pulled it off, revealing his snowy white spikey hair, and dark blue eyes. "Our beloved teacher is no longer of this world."

"Her final act was sealing that monster away!" Gray yelled. "Are you really so callous that you would try and destroy our master's legacy?!"

"Don't delude yourself." Lyon said, his voice cold and static. "We both know you're the one who killed Ur." Gray froze in shock. "And yet, you don't seem to feel any guilt. How cruel."


	37. Gray vs Lyon

**Part four of the mass update. I start switching points of view in later chapters. If I didn't we'd never get the full story.**

 **I don't own anything besides Vega, her dragons, Dante, Belladonna, and Chui.**

* * *

 **Gray's POV:**

"Enough with the games Gray." Lyon demanded. "You're the one who murdered Ur, so just admit it!" My eye was twitching in anger. "I'm surprised you have the gall to even SPEAK HER NAME!" Lyon's hands lit up with a spell, and I closed my eyes as I braced for impact.

 **"** **Celestial Ice Dragon** **'s** **Shield!"** My eyes snapped open as I heard Vega's voice. She was standing in front of me. A shield of white and gold ice hovered at her fingertips, stopping a column of ice from hitting us. "Don't just sit there like a target Gray!" She snarled, looking back at me from the corner of her eye. "I have enough on my plate for this mission without dealing with an idiot who can't dodge for shit!"

"What are you doin' Vega?!" I yelled. "This is between me and Lyon! I don't need your help!"

"Need I remind you that you weren't even supposed to be here in the first place?!" She said calmly, making me draw back in surprise. "You idiots got yourselves involved in an S-Class mission that was already taken. That puts me in charge whether you like it or not!" She growled, releasing the shield as Lyon's spell shattered. "You aren't doing this alone Gray." She said, looking over at me with her glowing purple eyes.

"And as for you." She said, turning to look at Lyon, gold and silver energy dancing up and down her arms in waves, a clear sign that she was pissed. "You've got a lot of nerve to accuse one of my Guildmates of murder." She smiled, her fangs clearly visible as her hair started to spike in agitation. "As a member of the Magic Council, and a Triple S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail, I am now obligated to show you the _error_ of your ways."

"Hm." Lyon huffed. "I'm warning you girly, don't try to interfere. Whether you like it or not I'm resurrecting Deliora!"

"I won't let you!" I growled, distracting Vega as she started to twitch in annoyance.

"This is your fight Gray. I don't interfere with personal business." She said, backing off a little ways to my surprise. "But I **will** step in if it looks like you're in trouble." She warned. I nodded, keeping my gaze on Lyon.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

Lyon smirked. "It's like old times." The pompous bastard said, raising a hand. "But I've grown much stronger since then. **Ice Make! Eagle!"**

Gray tried to lift his shield again, only for the ice birds to swoop around it and hit him. I flinched for a moment in pity. "They can move?" I questioned.

"While your specialty is creating inanimate objects, Static Ice Make Magic, mine is creating living creatures, Active Ice Make Magic. Did you forget my ice has the ability to move?" Lyon said condescendingly

"Ice make! Hammer!" Gray yelled, sending a giant sledgehammer of ice at Lyon.

"Ice Make! Ent!" A tree spirit rose up around Lyon, protecting him from the hammer. "How pathetic!" Lyon said. "You still use two hands when casting your Ice Make Spells."

"Yeah!" Gray said angrily. "Cause that's what Ur taught us! Single handed spell casting is incomplete and unbalanced!"

"Not to mention dangerous." I said, glaring at him. "If a caster makes a single mistake, it could backfire and potentially kill you! Two hands make for a large margin of error!"

"Well I'm the acceptation to that rule." Lyon said arrogantly, slowly pissing me off even more. "I surpassed Ur's skill level a long time ago."

"Shut your mouth." Gray said, gritting his teeth.

"Regardless." Lyon continued. "Ever since we were children you've never been able to land a single hit on me."

Gray started going through the motions. "I'm a lot stronger now than I used to be." He said. "Ice Make! Geyser!" He slammed his hands into the ground, and ice shot up around Lyon, incasing him. I leapt away, waiting for the right time to strike as the Cultists ran in panic.

It wasn't even ten seconds before Lyon broke free again. "Nothing has changed." He said, his tone mocking and condescending. "I was always the superior student, and I'm still stronger than you!" I ground my teeth as he kept taunting Gray. "I was able to master single handed Ice Make Magic, while you still have to rely on two hands." Gray was getting angrier and angrier. "It's just like the old days. We may have chosen different paths, but we're frozen in time. Our ranking as wizards never change." He lifted his hand, casting a spell, but not speaking.

Suddenly an Ice Dragon ripped out of the ground beneath Gray, slamming into him and throwing him up into the air. I dodged, avoiding the resulting ice shards. "That's why I'm resurrecting Deliora!" Lyon continued, and insane light in his eye. "To prove that I am more than Ur's star pupil!"

Gray crashed down into the ruins, kicking up a cloud of dust from the impact. "As a child, I only ever dreamt of one thing." Lyon said, looking over at me. "The day I would surpass Ur's abilities as a wizard." My eyes widened, finally realizing. "But you ruined it for me Gray! After she died, I thought my lifelong dream of surpassing her had been dashed." Gray sat up and pulled himself onto his knees, glaring at his former friend and listening. "Until I realized, there was one way." Lyon's eyes lit up with excitement. "If I can defeat Deliora, a demon so strong that not even Ur could vanquish it, then I will have surpassed her power! My dream will have become a reality!"

"Listen to me." Gray said, trying to reason with him. "That thing destroyed everything we cared about! And you wanna bring it back just to prove how strong you are?! That's insane!"

"Is that why you're so intent on this?!" I demanded angrily. "To prove you're strong?! That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Lyon jerked back like he was slapped as I kept yelling. "That thing would wipe this island off the map! And when I reaches the mainland no one, save _maybe_ the strongest of the Wizard Saints, will be able to stop it! Millions of innocent lives would be lost!" My eyes started glowing with rage. "And their blood would be on your hands!" I yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Please! You can't do this!" Gray yelled.

His words only seemed to set Lyon off...

"PLEASE YOU CAN'T DO THIS! REALLY." Lyon said as Ice Snakes burst out of the ground around us. I managed to dodge them, but Gray wasn't so lucky. Lyon shot another barrage of Eagles at him, ignoring me completely to attack his former friend. "Funny you say that! Those were the exact words we said to you that faithful day! Surely you haven't forgotten?" Lyon said mockingly as I dove over towards Gray. "IT'S BECAUSE YOU CHALLENGED DELIORA," I threw up a shield as an Ice Colossus tried to crush us. "THAT UR LOST HER LIFE! I CAN'T STAND YOU EVEN SPEAKING HER NAME IN MY PRESENCE! BEGONE!" Another Ice Dragon burst out of the ground, and dodged around my shield, targeting Gray. "This is the end Gray." I head him say as another appeared, throwing me back as it slapped Gray into the air.

Gray landed back on the ground, out cold, as I walked out, putting myself in-between him and Lyon.

" **That's enough Lyon.** " I said, my voice ringing with celestial power and authority. Lyon froze, all of his attention on me as I gave him a bayful glare. "Is this what Ur would have wanted?" I asked. "For you to try and kill you're own brother in all but blood?" Lyon flinched as if he had been slapped. "She would be ashamed of the path you've chosen." I turned, ignoring him as I picked up Gray and slung him over my shoulder. I started to walk back towards the village, but stopped. I looked back over my shoulder at Lyon, who was glaring at me. The look in my eyes made him jerk back. "Get off this island Lyon." I said, my voice steady and monotone. "Leave before you start something you'll regret, before you do something that **really** pisses me off. **Cause if I see you again,** " My voice turned hard, and my eyes glowed a menacing purple as silver and gold light blazed in my slip pupils. My mouth twitched up into a rage-filled snarl, showing off all of my fanged teeth. **"Gray will no longer be your opponent, _and I don't h_ _old back_ _against those who hurt my family."_**


	38. Village Crisis

**Hey! It's part five of the mass update!**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, the Black Keys, or the White Keys. Vega, her dragons, her exceed Dante, Erik/Cobra's exceed Belladonna, and Laxus' exceed Chui. The White Keys belong to various anime, the Black Keys belong to _fairytailcrossover,_ and Fairy Tail belongs to whomever wrote it.**

* * *

Gray groaned as I picked up the pace. "Don't try to move just yet Gray." I ordered as I felt him shift. "Lyon beat the crap out of you." He fell still again as I raced down the path.

"Where are we? Where's Lyon?" He asked, sounding dazed.

"We're following Natsu's trail." I answered. "And once we find him, I'm bringing the both of you back to the village. Lyon's gone, I warned him off and he'll stay out of my sight if he knows what's good for him."

"I can wal-" He started to protest.

"No, no you can't." I cut him off before he could finish. "Just relax and let yourself heal Gray." I ordered. "You're no good to us like this." I said.

"Brace yourself." I warned, taking off at breakneck speed. I let my celestial magic flow as I ran, and the swirling gold aura spread over me and Gray as I picked up speed. " **Cosmic Transfer.** " I whispered. We vanished from human sight, diving right below the surface layer of the Celestial World.

My vision was tinged with gold, and the world around me glowed and shifted, revealing it's secrets to me as I felt for Natsu's magic. Natsu's magic was a bright red that burned like wildfire. He was like a flare in the gold world. With a small smile, I directed myself to stop next to him. "Natsu!" I yelled as we surfaced back into the world.

"What the hell?!" He yelped as we appeared next to him. "Where did you come from?" He asked.

"Not now." I snapped. "We need to get to the village as fast as possible." I grabbed his wrist, pulling him along as I started channeling celestial magic through him. The ice on him slowly started melting as we moved.

"Man you look rough." Natsu commented, looking over Gray as we moved. "He beat the snot outta you, huh?"

"Yeah." Gray admitted. "Hey."

"Yeah?" Natsu asked.

"I'm sorry." Gray said, making me look at him in surprise. "I'm sorry I didn't believe in you. I know better." He said. I felt tears on my shoulder.

"QUIT FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF CAUSE YOU LOST A FIGHT!" Natsu roared. "You're a member of Fairy Tail! And we don't give up when times are tough!" He said. "So just put it behind you and keep movin' forward!"

"Pity party's over." I said. "We need to keep moving."

"Got it!" Natsu said, trying to waddle as fast as he could behind me.

* * *

I drew up short when we reached the village, and raised an eyebrow at the poorly disguised pitfall in front of the main gate.

Of course, Natsu walked straight into it. "So," I said, looking over towards the rapidly opening gate. "Who's bright idea was the pit trap?" I asked.

Kage pointed at Lucy and I face palmed. "Lucy," I started. "The pitfall is the simplest of traps. The oldest trick in the book. Everyone is going to see right through it." I looked over at my partner. "Now, what did you do?" I asked.

"I set up a web of Shadow Tripwires around the perimeter." He explained, lifting a hand so that I could see the thin shadow wires branching out from each finger. "Scentless, intangible, and almost completely invisible in highly shaded areas or during night hours. They're all set to alert me if someone passes through them." His face was smug as Lucy glared at him.

"Good." I said, lowering Gray to the ground. "Does anyone here have medical experience?" I asked. "We've got a wizard down." A couple of the demons shuffled forwards and carried him off.

"So how come Lyon's lackeys haven't made it here yet?" Natsu asked.

"You know, that's a good question." Lucy said. "They left for the village before you, but you got here first. I wonder what's taking them so long?"

"Yeah, and with us weighed down by Gray and me in that giant ice cube we were pretty slow." Natsu commented.

"Never the les-" I started.

"Vega!" Dante said, swooping down to land on my shoulder. "They're in the air!" He said.

"Look over there!" One of the villagers yelled, pointing upwards.

"It's a giant flying rat!"

"And it has a bucket!"

As we watched, a drop of something spilled over the edge of the bucket. "Jelly?" Lucy asked, watching it fall.

Natsu tackled her out of the way just as it was about to hit her. "Watch out!"

The drop hit the ground where she had stood, and ate a perfect hole through the soil, like extra strong acid. "That smell, I knew that stuff was deadly." Natsu said. The villagers started to panic.

As we watched, the rat flung the whole bucket as hard as it could. "HOW ARE WE GOING TO PROTECT OURSELVES FROM ACID JELLY?" Lucy said, panicking.

"Lucy! Fill in that ridiculous hole!" I barked, going into crisis mode. "Everyone else get to the center of the village!" The villagers raced away. "They prepared for this, that's why they took so long." I explained as Natsu, Lucy, and Kage flanked me. Dante took off to guide the villagers to safety.

"Ready to fly Happy?!" Natsu yelled.

"Aye Sir!" The cat yelled. Natsu jumped up, and Happy carried him as high up as he could go.

The villagers raced towards the center, everyone except the chief, who refused to move from a grave.

"I'll stay with the chief! Everyone else move!" I yelled, they nodded, obeying me. I strained my ears, waiting for Natsu's move.

" **Flames of my right hand, flames of my left hand. You put them together, you get, Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!** " Natsu's fire ball impacted right in the center of the jelly, blowing a hole big enough to leave the villagers unscathed.

" **Celestial Star Dragon's Shield!** " I yelled. A gold and silver dome sprung up around the chief and I, protecting us from the falling drops of acid.

As soon as it was safe, I pulled him away towards the others. The smoke that was everywhere started to settle down, revealing a large trench that had once been the village.

"The village has been completely dissolved!"

"This is terrible!"

"Is anybody hurt?"

The chief looked back towards the graveyard. "Bobo's grave is still standing," He said in awe.

Until one of the three stooges carelessly kicked it over...

* * *

Little known fact….

…..there are very few surefire ways to make me angry. Everyone who knows those triggers, avoids them at all costs.

One, underestimating me. I'm not a weak little girl, I never have been, _**I never will be**._

Two, touching **my** stash of Scotch. I like my alcohol, maybe not as much as Cana, but I like to knock back a glass at the end of a rough day from time to time, and I have a stash of the best scotch in Fiore hidden back at mine and Erik's place.

Three, disrespecting my family. Fairy Tail may be friendly, but we aren't weak. If anything that just shows how strong we are as we aren't afraid of potential threats. We have the highest collateral damage rate not because we like mindless destruction, but because we don't hold back.

Four, blatantly causing harm to a child. Dragons are protective of their young, female dragons are the worst though.

Five, disrespecting the dead….

….needless to say...

...I was a little _**ticked**_.


	39. Vega's Rage and Vampires

**Part six of the mass update! I know, I'm on fire today!**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail! If I did, there would have been an influx of magical creatures that probably would come from Harry Potter. I don't own the Black Keys either. They have asked me (on the pain of public humiliation) to inform you that they belong to _fairytailcrossover._ I don't own the White Keys either. They can be recognized from various anime.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Natsu's POV:**

The moment that gravestone hit the ground, every instinct I had started screaming at me to _run._ Lucy froze beside me in fear as I started looked for the threat.

That's when I smelled it….

…. _rage_.

And it was all originating from Vega, who stood completely still at the front of the crowd, her hair shadowing her eyes as blood lust rolled off of her in _**waves**_. The villagers started to slowly back away, sensing the danger that she just radiated.

"Lucy, Kage." I said. "We need to get the villagers as far away from here as possible, _**now**_." I said, trying to stay calm.

"Why?" Lucy asked, looking at me with wide fear-filled eyes. Kage just kept his eyes forwards, watching Vega warily as he slipped into a fighting stance.

I nodded over at Vega, who was starting to pulse with an absurd amount of magic. "Vega's fighting to keep herself contained until we get the civilians out of the way. We need to get them away here so that when she snaps she doesn't hurt an innocent." I turned to the villagers. "GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!" I roared. They listened, racing away as quickly as they could. A few of them picked up Gray on the way out, getting him out of range and backing off towards the far edge of the village center.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

My vision started going red as I saw them walk up.

"The Cold Emperor ordered us to eradicate the village and it's people." Sherry said dispassionately. "We were trying to show mercy by making your deaths quick and painless. But since that didn't work, we'll have to resort to bloodshed."

"Fifty villagers, four wizards," Yuka said. "Shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes." He said.

"To disregard life so carelessly." I said, my voice low almost whispering. I looked up at them, a snarl on my face. "Are you really so crass?" I asked viciously. I darted forwards, gold and silver blazing around me as I rushed them. "Life is sacred!" I yelled, punching the stupid rat in chin and knocking it out. I stood on top if it's downed form, glaring at the three wizards who were looking up at me in shock. "Any true wizard, regardless of age or power could tell you that!" I leapt down, and kicked Toby in the face, sending him flying. I landed on my feet and whirled around with a silver fist to punch Yuka, only to be stopped by an anti-magic barrier. Yuka was looking at me with wide eyes as he and Sherry watched me. I narrowed my eyes for a moment, before my fist turned gold and I started putting more pressure on the barrier. "Regard for life is what separates us from the animals. It's what makes us human, or mostly human in my case." I said lowly as the barrier started to crack. Yuka looked terrified when my fist broke through, and collided with his face. He was sent flying backwards as Sherry scampered off. "Come back here!" I roared, about to head off after her, when I was intercepted.

It was Toby, and he had activated his own magic, lengthening his fingernails into claws and turning them green with poison. "I won't let you through!" He growled challengingly. I looked past him to see Sherry goading her rat onto it's feet.

"Lucy! Kage! After her!" I yelled. The two nodded, grabbing onto the rat's legs as it took off. Dante and Happy followed.

I turned back to Toby just as Natsu punched him in the face. "Thanks." I said.

"No problem." He said. "You good now?" He asked, his face cautious.

"Yeah." I said, taking a deep calming breath. I gave him a small smile. "Nothing like a good fight to vent a little rage." I said jokingly.

I sobered up when I looked towards the fallen gravestone. With a swift movement, I picked it up, and set it back where it belonged. "We're gonna find a way to help you're people Bobo." I promised, running my hand over the grave as I knelt before it. "I promise, we'll avenge your death." I whispered.

"Let's go." I said. Natsu nodded, following after me. We broke into a run as Sherry's rat fell out of the sky a little ways away.

* * *

I slid to a stop at the sight before me. Lucy was battling it out with Sherry, while Kage was dodging the strikes of an anthro-cow man that I recognized as Taurus. Happy and Dante flew overhead with worried expressions. "What is going on here?!" I yelled.

Everyone froze. Taurus' battle axe stopping inches away from Kage's crotch while Lucy froze mid-swing with her whip towards Sherry.

"Quit fooling around Kage!" I said.

Kage smirked before he burst into motion. He melted into shadow, moving at high speeds to wrap around Sherry before she could react. Lucy was tackled by Taurus, who's eyes were glowing a menacing purple.

" **Open! Gate of the Vampire! Aima!"** I yelled. A bell rang out, and a black light flashed as a swarm of bats swirled around me for a moment, before collecting together. Aima smiled at me for a moment, before looking over the situation.

"Marionette Attack Magic." He said, looking at Taurus' eyes. "It had to be Marionette Attack Magic." He sighed, running his tongue over his fangs before pouncing on the bull.

"Hey old buddy!" He greeted happily, digging his fangs into the Taurus' neck. "Sorry I gotta do this." He apologized around his teeth as he dragged the bull away from Lucy.

"It's alright Aima." Taurus said, wincing in pain for a moment, before he pulled the smaller vampire off and slammed him into the ground. Two bleeding puncture marks were clearly visible on his neck. "I can't control my moooves after all!"

"Taurus!" Lucy yelled, scrambling to her feet and snapping her ship at Sherry again. "Close the gate! You're of no use to us under her control!"

Taurus seemed to struggle for a moment, his eyes flickering between normal and purple for a moment as he grabbed his head and bellowed in pain, before he dissolved into golden light.

Aima smirked for a moment, before he turned to Sherry. "Done playing games little girl?" He asked.

"Oh yes." Sherry said, smirking as magic circled lit up around her hands.

I scoffed as she tried to take control Aima. "Nice try." I said, smirking as she looked at us in confusion. "But Aima is a master of blood magic." She jerked back in realization. "He can't be controlled by anything."

"Then this makes the game harder." Sherry said calmly, lifting her hands again. She cast another spell, and rocks started to gather around her, condensing into a large rock golem as she grinned sadistically.

"Seriously?" I asked, my eye twitching in annoyance. Aima looked over at me imploringly, giving my puppy dog eyes. I smiled and nodded, making him whoop in glee as he rushed it. He raced all over it, almost disappearing in a blur of speed as he jumped, twisted, avoided, and pounded ever bit of rock he could reach.

"THIS IS THE MOST FUN I'VE HAD IN YEARS!" He yelled gleefully as he tossed the Marionette Mage off it's head and at us. I raised an eyebrow as she scrambled to her feet and tried to cast another spell, and snorted in amusement when Lucy clothes-lined her, knocking her out cold.

"Well that was almost too easy." I said as Aima landed next to me, coated in rock dust, grinning ear to ear, and looking extremely pleased with himself.

"It has been a pleasure my lady." Aima said, cheekily kissing my hand for a moment before disappearing in a black flash. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head with a fond smile.

"We need to get moving." I said, going serious in an instant. "Who knows what will happen the longer we wait."

"I've got a pretty good idea." A voice from behind us said coldly.

We all whirled around to see a redheaded demoness tapping her armored foot on the ground in clear annoyance….

….Erza.


	40. Just Do Whatever

**Part seven of the mass update! Things are starting to heat up as we lead up to the battle for Galuna!**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, or the Celestial Demons of the Black Keys. I do own Vega and Dante though...**

 **Just so you guys don't get confused, when a character gets a big fight scene, I'll be switching back and forth between their point of view and Vega's so that I can mostly keep going with the storyline...**

* * *

"Before you do anything Erza-" I started.

"Before I do what?" Erza interrupted, glaring at me. "I came here to apprehend these idiots for breaking guild rules!"

"But with me here I act as Team Commander." I countered, my eyes starting to glow with anger. "I outrank you Erza! I **need** all of them here!" Sparks started to fly between out eyes as we glared. "This is bigger than the Guild's rules right now." I said seriously, making her eyes widen in shock. "Innocent people could get hurt if I let you take them. And you **know** how I feel about casualties."

Erza frowned, thinking, before she sighed. "That I do." She admitted, before nodding. "I'll drop it, for now." She said, before she glared at the others. "But the moment we get back, Master is going to have _words_ with you." Lucy and Natsu nodded franticly.

I looked up a the rapidly lightening sky. "The sun will be rising any minute now." I informed. "We need to regroup and wait for Gray to get back on his feet. When we've got everyone, we'll start working on a plan of attack."

"Right." All of them said.

We headed out towards where the villagers were setting up camp...

It was mid-morning by the time Gray woke up.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." I greeted as he walked into our tent. "Have a nice nap?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said, looking down at the map of the island we had spread out on a table. "Workin' on a plan?" He asked.

I nodded, studying the map for a second, then looking over at the various pawns. "Alright guys," I said, picking up the first pawn. "Here's what we're gonna do...

It was almost noon when we finished planning. "And remember," I said, my eyes serious as the grave as they looked at me. "If things do go south, get the hell out of the area so I can unleash Plan B."

All of them nodded, before Natsu leapt to his feet. "Alright." He said, giving off a sharp toothed grin as he slammed is fist into his palm. "Let's do this! I'm all fired up!"

* * *

I watched with a smirk as Natsu smashed his way into the old temple.

"Damn." Kage said with a low whistle as the temple listed to the side, giving off a huge dust cloud. "Salamander is a hell of a lot stronger when he's actually trying."

"Natsu's started the party the way he does best." I said, laughing. "Mindless destruction." My laughter only got stronger as blasts of ice, and the roars of spirits joined the fray. I could just barely make out Dante's laughter as the ringing of steel sang through the air.

Erza smiled ruefully, watching the destruction with a critical eye. "They really do make a great team when they're working together." She said.

I froze as a powerful chill filled the air. One that I recognized from description, and hoped I would never feel in real life...

"No..." I whispered. "GRAY DON'T BE AN IDIOT!" I yelled, transforming myself into gold light. " **Cosmic Trans** **fer** **!** "

* * *

I raced through the Spirit Realm, running as fast as I could towards the center of the geyser of icy blue magic I could see.

"YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER IDIOT!" I roared, bursting out of the spirit realm and punching Gray in the face just as he was about to finish casting the spell.

Gray just looked shocked as Natsu started to laugh. I glared at both of them, my eye twitching in annoyance as I grabbed his ear and started chewing him out. " **I TOLD YOU TO STICK TO THE FUCKING PLAN!** " I roared, my alpha magic slipping through as I roared. "WHEN WE GET BACK TO THE GUILD GRAY, YOU AND I ARE GOING TO HAVE A **LONG** TALK ABOUT THIS!" My eyes softened, and I put my hands on his shoulders, making him look me in the eyes as they started glowing. "I **refuse** to loose another member of my brood." I said quietly as Natsu and Gray looked at me in shock.

Before I could say anything else, everything around us started shaking. I braced myself as the temple started to fix itself. "Shit." I cursed. "This is not good."

"This is bad." Gray said, looking around as Natsu started freaking out. "Now the moon's gonna shine on Deliora."

"Pardon the interruption." A small man wearing a tribal getup said as he trotted into the room. My eyes narrowed, scrutinizing him.

"I should have known." Lyon said, apparently recognizing him. "I take it you did this?"

"Indeed I did sir." The small man confirmed. "The moon will be out soon, so I thought I'd take the liberty of straightening the temple for you."

"That weirdo fixed it all by himself?" Gray questioned.

"And after I went through all that trouble to mess it up too." Natsu said, disappointment and anger in his voice. "Hey, so what'd you do to fix it huh?!" He demanded.

The smaller mage just looked over at us, and started laughing like a hyena.

It pissed me and Natsu off...

...a lot.

"TELL ME HOW YOU DID IT YOU JERK!" Natsu roared.

"Now that everything else is in order," The man continued. "I suppose I should commence the Moon Drip ceremony." The little man took off running, Natsu hot on his tail screaming in rage.

"Hey! WOULD YOU QUIT IGNORING ME YOU LITTLE FREAK!" He roared, spitting fire. "GET BACK HERE!"

"Natsu!" Gray yelled.

Natsu stopped for a moment, before looking back at us. "I gonna pound him a million, no, a **billion** times!" He said, clearly pissed. "I'll let you handle that ice guy!" Gray jerked back in surprise, before going serious as Natsu turned away again. "It'll look bad if you loose again." Natsu continued.

"Yeah." Gray agreed.

"And not just for you." Natsu countered.

"I know what you mean." Gray said.

 _"But for all of Fairy Tail."_ They said together. They smirked for a moment, before Natsu took off.

"This is your fight Gray." I said, turning away. "Don't blow it, and don't do something that stupid ever again..." I dove back into the gold, leaving Gray and Lyon to face one another.

"Roger that, Alpha." I heard Gray acknowledge in a whisper. My face split into a fang filled grin...

* * *

 **Gray's POV:**

I took a deep breath, relaxing as I faced down Lyon. _I will not loose,_ _not when_ _they're counting on me_ _..._ I thought.

"My my," Lyon said mockingly. "What a boisterous bunch you are." He said.

"Tell me somethin'." I said, my voice steady and even. "A second ago when I was gonna freeze us both for good, you were counting on Natsu to stop me before I could finish, right?"

"No." Lyon said, his voice bland and emotionless. "The opposite in fact. I never thought that your partner from before would be foolish enough to come near a spell like that."

"That's Vega for you. She never let anything like a little ice stop her." I said with a shrug. "But you were just going to stand there and take the hit?"

"Exactly." Lyon said, making me narrow my eyes at him. "Because someone would come to rescue me. You on the other hand, would be finished for good."

"I should have known." I said dispassionately.

"Certainly it would be incontinent to be sealed in ice," Lyon said. "But my allies are as devoted to my cause as I am. And as long as we're on this island they could use Moon Drip to melt the ice whenever they saw fit."

"I didn't think of that." I admitted. "Guess the Iced Shell is completely useless here."

"Even so," Lyon said. "You still want to fight? After what happened last time?" I didn't respond, making him chuckle slightly. "Don't fool yourself, you could never-" He started arrogantly before I cut him off.

"That's enough." I said, just loud enough for him to hear me.

"What?" Lyon said.

"Just forget about Deliora." I said.

"What kind of nonsense is this?!" Lyon demanded. "Your threats don't work, so you turned to begging? Does your guild have a dentist that removed your fangs, or are you just a coward?"

"As if," I scoffed. "But Lyon there's something I have to tell you." I said calmly.

"What is it?!" Lyon demanded.

"Ur is still alive." Lyon's eyes widened in angry shock as I continued. "The Iced Shell doesn't kill it's caster. It uses their body to form the barrier. The ice keeping Deliora sealed away, which you've been trying to melt, is actually Master Ur. She isn't dead. She lives on as that ice." I stayed calm as Lyon stayed quiet. "I'm sorry that I never told you the truth back then." I apologized. "Ur made me promise to keep quiet."

"Of course." Lyon said softly, his eyes shadowed.

"It's over." I said. "There's no reason to go through with this anymore!" I froze in shock and pain as he leapt forwards and put a hand to my stomach, sending an ice lion right through my stomach.

I tried to reach out to him, before falling back as my body refused to respond. "You idiot, I know how the spell works." He said, looking down on me in distain. "I can assure you, she's not alive anymore." He said, an evil smirk on his face as his ice shattered, leaving me on the ice covered ground. "That's nothing more than a chunk of ice!"

"Y-you k-knew all along?" I asked, struggling to get up, before my arms gave out again. A thin trail of blood slipped through my mouth to splatter on the floor.

"Knowing is one thing," Lyon said. "Believing is another." He started to walk away. "And if you truly believe Ur is alive in there, you're an even greater fool than I thought."

" **You knew the truth,** " I snarled angrily, the pain starting to fade as my anger grew. " **And you still did this?!** " Panting, I pushed myself to my feet, letting my hair shadow my eyes.

"And what of it?" Lyon asked.

I bared my teeth at him, before punching him as hard as I could.

Lyon flew across the room to slam into the wall opposite me. "IMPOSSIBLE!" He yelled, landing on his feet with a bruised cheek. "HOW CAN YOU MOVE WITH THAT WOUND?!"

I stood tall. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" I snarled as I straightened out. "I wanted, to save you." I said, looking at him with a disdainful glare. "But I give up now."

"You want the title of star pupil for yourself?" Lyon asked. "Well I'm sorry, but I have to fight against Deliora soon, and I'd rather not waste my magic energy on you."

I brought my right arm up to shoulder level. "The we'll just use our fists." I countered, completely serious.

Lyon smirked. "You want me to fight you without using magic?" He asked rhetorically. "That's fine by me..."


	41. Gray vs Lyon: Round Two!

**Part eight of the mass update!**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, the Black Demons, or the White Demons. Vega and Dante belong to me though.**

* * *

 **Gray's POV:**

I raced forwards, ready to punch Lyon in the face, when he caught me with a punch to the stomach. He grinned sadistically. "Aim for your opponent's weak spot, hit it with all you've got! Ur taught us that remember?!"

I snarled at him. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK HER NAME!" I said, getting up again. "AND I WON'T LET YOU!" He kneed me in the stomach again.

* * *

 **Natsu's POV:**

"Get back here and answer my question already you freak show!" I yelled as I chased after the midget hyena dude. The dude just kept running and laughing. "Come on man, why won't you just tell me how you fixed the temple?!" The dude stopped running, and lit up a dark grey magic circle. The ceiling above me cracked, and a perfect circle of stone started to fall towards me. "That all you got?" I roared, sending a flaming kick that shattered it into a million pieces. "What a joke!"

I landed back on the ground as the hyena dude grinned, and waved his hand. I watched in shock as the slab repaired itself down to the last pebble, and set itself back into the ceiling. "There you have it." The hyena dude said. "That's how I fixed the temple after you so rudely tilted it."

"What kinda crazy magic is that?!" I asked.

"If you really must know." he said condescendingly. "I practice one of the Lost Magics. In other words, both it's strength and side effects are so powerful, it has been erased from history as we know it."

"Seriously?" I asked in shock.

"That Dragon Slayer Magic of yours is no different." He informed me to my surprise.

"Really?!" I asked excitedly. To my surprise, he vanished. "Where did he go?!" I demanded as I got angry. "I'm sick of chasin' him around! I wanna fight!" My voice turned to a whine at the end of it.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

I was still pretty ticked over Gray's stupidity when I found myself surrounded by roughly three dozen of the cultists.

"Really?" I deadpanned, looking over them. "You **really** wanna try and fight the wizard that's already pissed? The one who took down your leader's top three lackeys in five minutes flat?" The cultists looed at each other, then back at me, before taking off in a cloud of smoke. "That's what I thought." I said smugly.

* * *

 **Gray's POV:**

I tried to fight back as Lyon punched me left and right, eventually knocking me back with a kick. "What a shame." He said mockingly. "Your fists are as weak as your magic!"

I tried to throw another punch, but Lyon round house kicked me into wall, creating a crater in the ice. I slid to the floor, panting as the exhaustion started to creep up on me. "What we're doin' right now." I said, shaking as I pushed myself to my feet. "Kinda reminds me of someone else I used to spar as a kid."

Lyon rushed forwards. "THIS IS THE END!" He roared as we raced towards one another.

Lyon beat me to the punch, sending me flying back into my other crater and shattering the wall from the impact. I took in a shuttering breath, and had a flashback as steeled myself to kick the fight up a notch. _Natsu..._

* * *

 _I could see it now, me and Natsu as kids duking it out on the training ground behind the guild. The both of us scratched and bruised to all hell as Gramps, Erza, Jellal, Erik, and Vega looked on impassively._

 _Natsu was on the ground winching from the pain as I stood tall, albeit panting from exertion. "Come on get up!" Natsu yelled._

 _"You're the one who needs to get up, so you come on!" I snapped back. The two of us lunged forwards, and I knocked Natsu flat on his back. We both started panting as I put my hands on my knees. "Sorry, but you loose." I said, straightening up and turning to walk away._

 _"Hold on," Natsu said, making me look back at him in surprise. "This fight's not near over Gray!"_

 _I smiled. "Well if that's the way you want it." We rushed each other, getting our second winds..._

* * *

"That settles it." Lyon said, snapping me back to the real world. "You're no match for me after all."

He started to turn away. "Hold it." I said, getting up. Lyon stopped, and looked back over at me. "This fight's not over just yet." I said fiercely.

"I should have killed you when I HAD THE CHANCE!" Lyon said, running towards me again.

His and my punches connected at the same time, mine easily overpowering him to send him flying back into the opposite wall and kick up a cloud of dust at the same time. "YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO STEP UP YOUR GAME IF YOU WANNA BEAT ME!" I snarled, standing tall and proud.

Lyon burst out of the dust, and landed a punch on my jaw, sending me reeling before I corrected myself. "I DIDN'T GIVE UP AGAINST NATSU, AND I WON'T AGAINST YOU!" I head butted him into the ground, only for him to retaliate with a vicious knee to my jaw. "I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE! YOU HEAR ME?!" He punched me, and I reeled back only to punch his side. He nailed me on the shoulder, before I brought up another punch to his sternum, which he blocked, before landing a hit on my cheek.

* * *

 _The entire time I was fighting Lyon, I kept remembering that spar with Natsu years ago. The two of us as kids going all out, landing punch after punch on each other as we refused to fall..._

 _"Not. Gonna. Lose!" Natsu said, each word accompanied by a punch._

 _"You're gonna have to!" I retaliated, punching with each word. "Cause. I. Wanna. Win!"_

 _ **"YOU'RE GOIN' DOWN!"**_

* * *

I tackled Lyon with a shoulder to his stomach. "I WON'T LOSE!" I yelled. "YOU'RE GOIN' DOWN!" I snarled.

"YOU CAN NEVER DEFEAT ME!" Lyon snarled back.

* * *

 _Finally, Natsu and I threw punches at the same time, landing a knock out blow to each other's jaws, and knocking us both flat on our backs..._

 _ **I remember looking at the sky that day. I don't know why, but it was so blue it made me angry...**_

 _"Are you two just going to lay there all day?" I heard Vega ask as she walked up to us. Natsu and I propped ourselves up with our elbows and saw her standing there, her hand on her hips as she smiled down at us. "Come on." She said, offering us her hands. "We've got work to do..."_

* * *

I snarled as I shot off a vicious kick at Lyon, sending him flying back...

Lyon staggered to his feet again. "The Cold Emperor, defeated in battle by the likes of you? I won't stand for it!"

"Then get over here and fight." I said calmly.

Lyon looked over at me with crazed eyes, before getting up an casting a spell. **"Ice Make! Snow Dragon!"** The dragon construct roared at me, before lunging forwards and grabbing me. It shattered as it was lifting me into the air.

I glared at him, holding my aching stomach as I shot him a disgusted look. "I thought we agreed not to use magic Lyon!"

"Don't be such a sore loser." Lyon said. As if, he's the one who lost. "This duel was pointless from the start. Deliora will be revived either way!" He shot me a crazed grin as I staggered to my feet again. "Alas, it's far too late to stop me now!"

"I won't stop tryin!" I said defiantly.

"Try all you want, but Zalty is preparing to start the Moon Drip ceremony as we speak!" Lyon said, finally pulling off his ridiculous cape and tossing it aside.

"Natsu won't let him." I said confidently, smiling slightly. "Trust me, the second you underestimate that guy is the second you loose. And that's not even factoring Vega into the equation." I let out a low chuckle. "You wouldn't even stand the ghost of a chance against _**her**_..."

* * *

 **Dante's POV:**

I glared at the stupid dog man that got the drop on me. "You do realize that if you go through with this Deliora is going to kill us all, right?" I asked from the pillar I was tied to as he started lighting the braziers around the ritual circle.

Tobi stopped for a moment, thinking it over before looking at me. "But the Cold Emperor will be able to protect us." He said, looking at me like **I** was the stupid one before he huffed and went back to work.

"Yeah right." I said rhetorically. "Oh go ahead, listen to the idiot who's never fought a **TRUE** demon before over the cat whose partner does that on a regular basis." As I spoke, I steadily worked my sword out of it's scabbard until it's blade was hidden by my ropes. I started sawing away as Tobi began the ceremony...

* * *

 **Natsu's POV:**

I raced along the tunnels, following my nose as I tracked that stupid guy down. "There you are!" I yelled as I burst into the main cave. I lit up my fist, leaping towards the jerk. "I'LL BURN THAT GIRN OFF YOUR FACE!"

He leapt away just as I made contact, making me hit the rock under him instead. He landed on a nearby rock pillar, and laughed at me. "Hahaha, must have taken you awhile to come up with that one." He said, slowly pissing me off. "By the way, how did you manage to find me?" He asked curiously.

"I followed me nose, that all." I said matter-of-factly. "For some reason, you totally reek of ladies perfume."

The man laughed again. "I would love to stay and chat, but I've got more important things to do right now. Like reviving Deliora."

"Heh." I chuckled. "Just forget about that, It's not gonna happen, okay?" I said, dismissing it.

"Oh really?" The man asked. "And why is that pray tell?"

"Cause Gray's gonna kick that ice guy's butt." I said confidently, before pointing at him. "And any minute now I'm gonna kick your butt. Like a billion times! And then this'll all be over!"

"We'll just have to see about that." The man said, before he looked over at the demonsicle.

My eyes widened in horror was I saw the ice melting again. "That's, moonlight!" I said, shocked as I looked up and saw the purple moonlight again. "There are people up there doing the ceremony right now?! But Dante was supposed to stop them!"

"Only one person. Your little cat friend managed to take out quite a few of the others before we could get started." The hyena dude admitted. "Which means the Moon Drip isn't terribly powerful right now. However, that's hardly a concern since we've already gathered plenty of moonlight. We just need to give it a little nudge to finish the job. Like this!"

To my horror, the top of the ice shattered, melting further. "Whoa! This can't be good! Deliora's ice is melting like crazy!" I turned around, racing towards the tunnel. "I've gotta go stop that guy before things get ugly!"

About half way to the tunnel, I was blown back by a falling rock column. "Whoa!"

"Sorry! But you're not going anywhere." Hyena dude said, smirking at me. "Looks like chasing after me was a mistake, Salamander. Better luck next time, eh?"

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

I was fighting a few of the more bold cultists when I caught a whiff of an odd scent. "That smell." I whispered, stopping before one of them. "You smell like the icy cold of the north." I said, confused. "Why would people of the northern continent, people who **know** what Deliora has done and could do, want the false demon to be free once more?" I questioned.

The cultist in front of me stopped, and pulled off his hood to reveal a thirty year old man with tan skin and dark hair. On his head was a red cap trimmed with black and purple stones. "Revenge." He said simply, his black eyes angry and prideful. "Revenge for what that thing did to the city of Brago all those years ago." His black eyes met mine defiantly. "That is why we can't let you interfere."

"So you would condemn a village of innocents to suffer for your revenge?" I asked, my voice steady as I pushed down the rage within. "You would risk the lives of millions to give someone who may not even have the strength the chance to kill it?" I stared him down, keeping my eyes locked to his, before he lowered his in shame. I shook my head. "That thing was better left sealed away." I said lowly, letting a little of my anger through. "If it makes it off this island, then I will be holding your people directly responsi-"

I was cut off as the ground began to shake violently. I looked over at the temple with wide eyes.

"Oh no..."

 **Natsu's POV:**

The ice around the demon was melting faster and faster as I gritted my teeth in frustration. I leapt to my feet as the hyena dude started laughing, and threw a flaming punch at him.

He leapt out of the way, landing on the ledge above. "Are you sure you want to do that?" He asked, his big condescending smile never faltering. "Using your fire magic at a time like this, might make the ice that's sealing Deliora melt faster."

I ignored him and leapt up, lighting up the fire on my feet and kicking at him through the stone. "If it could be melted by fire magic then you wouldn't have gone to all this trouble." I said seriously. "Bluff all you want, but once I'm done here all I gotta do is stop the Moon Drip and it's game over!"

The Hyena man just chuckled again. "I must say, I took you for a fool, but when push comes to shove it seems you're surprisingly clever Salamander." He said.

Once he finished speaking, the ground started to shake violently...

* * *

 **Gray's POV:**

Lyon and I paused in our battle as the ground started to shake.

"I got a bad feeling that ain't Natsu." I said worriedly.

"The Ceremony is finally reaching completion." Lyon said gleefully, a wide smile on his face. "The ice sealing Deliora has begun to melt away."

 _Ur..._ I thought in horror.

"There's nothing you can do! It's too late to stop me!" Lyon proclaimed arrogantly, fog swirling up around him as he began to cast a new spell. "You and your friends have failed!" His smirk just got wider as the fog swirled faster. "Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this moment Gray? Since I saw you last I've been gathering knowledge, and allies who will aid me. I was fortunate enough to discover this place, an island where you can collect the light of the moon, Galuna." His spell shot out, forming dozens of eagles that shot towards me at high speed. I started dodging. "It wasn't an easy task, transporting Deliora from Brago, and the Moon Drip has taken three years!"

I threw up a shield as he kept shooting eagles at me. "You've been wasting your time on this stupid plan for three years?!" I asked.

"STUPID?!" Lyon asked incredulously. Light shot up around him as he kicked into a higher gear. "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT! YOU'VE SPENT THE LAST TEN YEARS IN SOME FOOLISH GUILD PEADLING YOUR LIFE AWAY!" His magic formed a giant eagle that shot towards me.

I leapt out of the way as it destroyed the ground where I had been standing. "BECAUSE I PUT MY FAITH IN WHAT UR TOLD ME!" I shot back viciously.

* * *

 _"In the western countries, there are lots of wizards that are more powerful than me..."_

* * *

"So I went west, and eventually made it to Fairy Tail. And she was right, the Guild was so full of powerful wizards that I couldn't believe it!"

* * *

 _"I don't think I can help you." A younger Master Makarov explained regretfully. "The Iced Shell is based on the will of it's caster, and because that will is absolute, a third party cannot melt the ice, no matter what magic they use."_

 _"No way." I said angrily. "You're tellin me even with all the strong wizard you got you can't break the spell?!"_

 _Makarov grunted for a moment. "Actually, now that I think about it, there may be a way." I looked at him with bright eyes, only to fall as he continued. "On second thought, that's not a good idea. If you were to melt the ice I'm afraid it would be no different then killing your master."_

* * *

"I didn't know it at the time, but I bet the old man was thinking about the Moon Drip when he said that." I looked at Lyon, my eyes hard and unforgiving. "After everything Ur did for us, you'd kill her without giving it a second thought. You make me sick." My eyes narrowed in fury.

"Say what you will, I don't care." Lyon said, smirking. "My entire life has led up to this moment. Our master is long dead, if we want to prove we have surpassed her what can we do in her absence!" He pointed towards me, his hands alighting with energy. "Think Gray!" He leapt at me, flinging wild punches at me. "There's only one answer! Deliora! I will surpass our master by defeating what she could not!"

I dodged every one of his wild swings. "Well I admit that's a pretty ambitious plan, but I can't stop thinking that you might have missed the point somewhere along the way!" I swept my arm up, shattering the ice around his fist in one blow. He looked at me in shock as I continued. "Someone as blind as you could never be better than Ur! Not in a hundred years!" I stated fiercely. "WAKE UP LYON!" I said, swinging an Ice Sword across his middle, and reviling him as an Ice Clone to my shock.

"Fooled you didn't I!" His voice called out from behind me. " **Ice Make! Snow Tiger!** " The large cat leapt at me, before I jumped up, dodging.

" **Ice Make! Prison!** " A fancy cage formed under my palms, trapping the struggling ice cat as I landed on top of it. "You see this Lyon?" I asked, looking down at him. "This is what you are!"

"What?!" Lyon growled.

"A beast in a cage lashing out at a world he barely knows!" I stated calmly.

"Utter nonsense!" He claimed, gearing up for another spell. "I'll make quick work of that spell of yours!" He took control of the tiger, making it slam into the bars, but the bars wouldn't give.

"Single handed spell casting is too unbalanced!" I said, leaping down to stand before him. "Your creations will let you down when you need them the most." I lit up my spell circle beneath my feet with by pressing my palm to my fist. I held out my arms, ready for my creation as ice swirled into existence to my right, forming and shaping into something familiar, a large loaded bazooka...

 **"** **ICE CANNON!"** I yelled out as it let off a shot that send me back a few steps with the recoil.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Lyon screamed as pale blue light engulfed him.

The power of the shot blew out the wall behind him, kicking up a cloud of dust and fog as the bricks collapsed. When it cleared, Lyon was still standing, albeit shaking from exhaustion.

"Ur taught us that, remember?" I stated.

"Gray..." Was all that Lyon managed to choke out before he fell back, completely out cold.

I took in a deep breath, before wincing in pain. "Man," I said, putting a hand on my stomach and coating the open wound in a sheet of ice. "I should have sealed this wound up earlier!" As I worked, a faint breeze swept through, and everything froze for a split second...

...Before a horrifying shrill screech ripped through the air.

"That sound," I said, my eyes widening in fear as that faithful day flashed before my eyes. "I could never forget that sound..."

"Deliora." I heard Lyon whisper.

"They did it." I said. "They actually revived it..."

 _If Vega can't get here fast enough, then there's only thing I can do..._

 _... **Iced Shell.** "_

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

I clapped my hands over my sensitive ears as the screeching roar split the air. "Damn it!" I yelled, looking over towards the temple as I felt dark magic surge and twist. "We were too late!"

My face slipped into calm rage as I started running towards the temple, my body lighting up gold as I moved faster and faster. "Time for Plan B... **Cosmic Transfer!** "


	42. Vega's True Power?

**Part nine of the mass update! We're winding down to the end here!**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, or any of the Celestial Demons. Vega and Dante belong to me though, and so does their magic.**

* * *

 **N** **atsu's POV:**

I stared up at the Demon, fear in my eyes as the shockwaves from it's release blasted out over everything.

"Finally!" Hyena dude said, sounding excited. "The moment is here!"

I turned to glare at him. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!" I yelled as Deliora roared again and started to struggle in the last remains of the ice. "Ah man, I'm wasting my time on you." I said. "Let's finish this right now!"

A ball of crystal slammed into my left cheek, knocking me off my feet. "Ready when you are." The hyena man said, controlling the ball with a smirk. "Go ahead and do your worst, little Salamander!" he challenged.

"Why you!" I yelled, lunging forwards with a **Fire Dragon Iron Fist**. The crystal shattered on impact...

...then rebuilt itself.

"But I broke it! Right?" I gasped as it slammed into my chest.

"I have the ability to control an object's time." Hyena man explained. "Meaning I can take the crystal back in time to before it was broken." I landed back on my feet as the crystal whirled around and started to orbit around him.

"What kind of magic gives you that power?" I asked.

"I practice one of the lost magics called the Ark of Time." Hyena explained. "It's extremely rare and quite powerful." He shot me an evil smile. "Would you like to see what happens when I throw this crystal ball into the future?" I didn't have the chance to answer before he flung the ball at me, propelling it to high speeds until it felt like I was being hit by the ball in several places at once.

Finally, it slowed down, and I shattered it again with another punch. It put immediately itself back together for a second time, and whirled around to slam into the back of my head.

"Your fire won't help you!" Hyena said, flinging the ball at me again.

I launched another punch at it, only for it to stop dead inches outside of my range. "It stopped in mid air." I said, my shocked reflection clear on the crystal's surface.

"Yes." Hyena man said condescendingly. "I also have the ability to freeze an object in time."

"Nice trick." I said as the crystal continued to float. "But I'd be more impressed if it worked on people!"

The crystal floated away. "Ah, that's the rough, it's powerless on living things." He explained, his grin never leaving his face. "Since Ur turned herself into the ice that encases Deliora, I cannot simply turn back the time on that ice to it's pre-frozen state. That's why we're using Moon Drip."

"Let me ask you somethin'." I said. "Why are you guys doin' this? It seems to me like your workin' hard tryin' to revive this demon just so Lyon can kill it to boost his ego. That's great for him and all," I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him. "But what are you gonna get out of it?"

"I can't say." He admitted. "I've only recently joined them, so I don't know enough to speak on the other's behalf."

"Okay what about you then?" I asked bluntly, done fooling around. "What's your goal in all of this?"

"You certainly know how to get straight to the point." He said, before laughing. "The Cold Emperor is an arrogant twit. He doesn't stand a chance against Deliora. That's where I come in." He explained.

"If he can't kill it, then we're gonna have to fall to Plan B." I said, smirking at the confusion on his face. "Unless your gonna defeat it yourself?" I asked.

"Don't be ridiculous." He sneered. "I want to control the demon." He said darkly. My eyes widened in understanding, before narrowing in anger. "You see there are spells that give the caster power over immortal monsters like this one here." His grin seemed devilish as he raised a fist. "With a single spell, I'd become the most powerful man in the world because I'd have a demon at my beck and call!"

I laughed slightly. "Talk about a lame answer." I said to his confusion. "I'm sorry I even asked. That's what you're after? You think just havin' a monster 's gonna make you tough? No way!"

He just laughed. "I suppose you're too young to understand right now, but one day you'll realize how important it is to have power on your side!"

My fists lit up as my face fell into a frown. "Well I've already got plenty of power on my side!" I said. "Cause all of my friends at Fairy Tail have got my back! Besides," He looked surprised as I spoke, my lips twitching into a vicious smirk as my eyes started to glow. "Vega would never let you take control of the demon anyway. She's more than powerful enough to take down anything that's thrown her way."

"If you let your cockiness get the best of you, you will fall just like the ceiling above you!" He raised his hand as a huge magic circle appeared, and the ceiling shattered.

"It's not cocky if you're tellin' the truth, and I've had enough of you and your buddies screwing things up for the people on this island!" I said angrily. "It's time I put a stop to it!" My flames burned brighter and hotter.

"You don't seriously believe you can stop my Ark of Time with your puny flames do you?!" He said condescendingly.

I pushed off into the air, dodging the rocks and heading straight for the crystal balls he sent at me. "I DON'T GIVE A CRAP ABOUT YOUR STUPID MAGIC! I JUST WANT YOU OFF THIS ISLAND!" I yelled, destroying all of the crystals in one flare and kicking up a cloud of smoke. "I may not be able to control time! But I can see the future!" I said, bursting out of the smoke. "And I can see, ME KICKING YOUR BUTT AND SENDING YOU FLYING!" I punching him in the face, the force of my punch sending him flying into another rock, pulverizing it from the force.

* * *

 **Dante's POV:**

I smirked as I felt the ropes around me slacken and fall, turning me loose. Without warning, I lunged forwards, taking Tobi off guard as I slammed the pommel of my sword into his temple, knocking him out without a fight. "Serves you right dog breath." I growled as I looked down at him in vicious triumph. The Moon Drip slowly petered off as I watched, disappearing. "Well that's the end of the Moon Drip." I said, dusting myself off as Kage, Lucy, and Erza walked up.

"Too late!" Tobi yelped, making me turn to look at him again. "It's over! The ceremony's already been completed!"

"Oh shit..." I said, turning around just as a beacon of magic exploded out from the ritual circle, lighting up the sky and sending out waves of power.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

The roar of Deliora rang in my ears as I surfaced in the real world again inside the temple. I calmly walked up to where Natsu and Gray were standing.

"Guess Plan B is needed." I said shortly, making them look at me with wide eyes. They opened their mouths to argue, but I cut them off. "No arguments guys." I said shortly, keeping my eyes on the demon. "You aren't ready for something of this caliber. Gray, find that idiot Lyon, and get the hell out of here. Natsu, get to the others, and tell them to clear out. This is going to get, _**destructive**_..."

The two of them tore out of there, Gray picking up a struggling Lyon who was screaming about loosing his chance to fight the demon to an incompetent idiot.

I cracked my neck, the sharp sound drawing the Demon's attention as I looked up at it with stony eyes. "Alright False One of Destruction." I said, silver and gold energy swirling around me in chaotic waves as they intermingled. My eyes bled to solid electric purple as I slipped into my other persona. " **Let's** **dance**..."

* * *

 **Third Person POV:**

"LET ME GO GRAY!" Lyon yelled, struggling as Gray threw him over his shoulder. "I HAVE TO FIGHT DELIORA! THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITNG FOR!"

"NOT A SNOWBALL'S CHANCE IN HELL LYON!" Gray shot back, shutting him up. "YOU'RE OUTCLASSED HERE! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?!" The Fairy Tail wizard dumped the Cold Emperor on the ground as they reached the edge of the forest. "Look Lyon." Gray said as he turned back to look at the temple. "Look and see just what you would have been facing."

Lyon looked as Kage, Erza, Natsu, Lucy, Dante, and Happy caught up to them. As they watched, the temple began to pulse with silver and gold light. The faint sounds of chanting reached their ears as the silver light vanished, leaving the gold to take over completely as the final words of the chant became clear...

 _ **"...And surrender myself to their will.**_

 _ **They who shaped Magic!**_

 **Sacred Art!"**

The gold light became brighter and brighter with every word, until it was almost blinding...

 **"Paladin Purge!"**

They heard Deliora's screeching roar of pain as a gold blade flashed across their vision, and the temple caved in. The world was was silent for a moment, frozen in anticipation, before the temple exploded as Deliora let out a roar of anger. From where they stood, the eight could see a figure that had been flung into the air by the blast holding a giant blade that shined like a star in one hand. Deliora surged out of the temple, it's chest bleeding heavily and apparently intent on pursuing the figure.

The figure twisted around and slashed through the air, avoiding Deliora's retaliating energy beam and sending a gold wave at the demon in retaliation as it disappeared and reappeared in a flash of gold and silver. The light illuminated the figure for a moment, showing that Vega's mouth was set into a hard line as her eyes glowed brightly with power and anger. She flipped, bringing her blade down to slash across the demons' chest again, carving an X into it's flesh. Deliora roared in pain and anger as it tried in vain to shake her off.

Lyon's eyes were wide with morbid fascination as he watched her deal blow after blow to the Demon. Vega's blade flashed as it came down on Deliora's right arm, slashing it off completely as the demon screeched in pain. "This is the power," He said, his voice filled with awe. "That she holds?"

"Vega is no ordinary Wizard." Kage said softly as Vega scored a hit on the Demon's skull, annoying it.

"She was never ordinary." Erza agreed. Vega was thrown back for a moment as Deliora swatted at her, driving her into the ground. With a growl that they could all feel, Vega shot up again gold power surging around her again as she raced up Deliora's remaining arm to land on it's shoulder.

"She's special." Natsu explained. Vega's blade flashed as she swung it at the demon's neck...

"She's a member of the Wizard Saints, and an SSS-Class Mage of Fairy Tail!" Dante finished as Deliora's head separated from it's shoulders in a spray of blood.

"You were outclassed from the start Lyon." Gray said as Vega stood tall, staring down the demon as it disintegrated. Gray looked down at the Ice Mage with hard, sad eyes. "You're just lucky Vega doesn't like senseless violence."

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

I took in a deep breath, panting from exhaustion and relaxing as Deliora disintegrated, and let my Paladin Purge Blade disappear in golden sparks. I turned to where I could sense the others watching, and started walking towards them. The ground shook beneath my feet as a tidal wave of water burst out of the temple to flow down to the sea.

Lyon was looking at me with wide fearful eyes as I stared him down. When I got close enough, I kneeled to his height so I wouldn't have to look down on him. "Deliora was already almost dead when I started fighting." I informed him, my voice toneless. Lyon looked devastated as I continued. "For ten years Ur gradually depleted the demon's life force, and what you just saw, was nothing more than it's last dying breaths." My face pulled into a frown as everyone's eyes were on us. "But even in death, a false demon will still be more powerful than any average wizard."

Tears gathered in his eyes as he slammed a fist into the ground. "My dream is dead." He choked out as the tears flowed down his face. He started to sob, breaking down completely. "There's no hope now! I will never surpass Ur!"

"Man Gray, your teacher was pretty awesome!" Natsu said, grinning at the destruction that the demon and I had caused.

Gray just stood blank faced for a moment, before starting to cry as well. "You've saved my life again." He said, covering his eyes with his hand. "Thank you Ur." I slung an arm around his shoulders as he shook with sobs, comforting him in the simplest way possible.

 _The ice that was once Ur, melted and became water that flowed into the open sea._

Lucy and happy glomped Natsu, before Natsu realized that Erza was standing behind him. He tried to run, only for Kage to grab him by the scarf.

 _Even though she's not physically with us, Gray says she's still alive._

Gray walked over to Lyon, and slung the other ice mage's arm over his shoulders. With a bit of effort, Lyon was back on his feet after his breakdown.

 _I think he's right, from the ocean she can watch over he beloved students forever._

I smiled gently as I saw then getting along.

 _I could feel her energy echoing out across the water, saying "Please don't fight anymore..."_

* * *

"Oh yeah!" Natsu yelled in celebration. "That's right! We won!"

"Aye sir!" Happy yelled.

"You know," Lucy said softly. "I was kinda worried for awhile there." she admitted to Gray. "But it all worked out, thanks to your amazing teacher and your skills Vega." She said, nodding to me.

"WE TOTALLY FINSIHED AN S-CLASS QUEST ALL BY OURSELVES!" Natsu said, jumping around in happiness.

"You think Master Makarov will let us on the second floor now?!" Lucy asked excitedly, sparkles in her eyes.

Erza got a dark look on her face, and the others froze, finally remembering exactly what she had been sent for.

"Oh no! You're still gonna punish us huh?!" Lucy asked, looking mortified.

"Isn't there something that you're all forgetting about?" She asked calmly. "You came to this island to help the villagers. The request was for you to return them to their original forms. You still haven't completed your S-Class Quest yet."

"Thanks for reminding me Erza." I said, rolling my shoulders again.

"But I don't understand." Lucy said, sounding confused. "The curse should be lifted now cause Deliora's dead."

"Wrong." I said. "The curse never had anything to do with the demon. The villagers have been affected by the concentrated magic residue released from the Moon Drip." I explained, seeing their confused faces. "Deliora's death won't change anything."

"Wha-" Lucy's face was horrified. "Oh no." She said, putting a hand up to her mouth.

"Well, we better go and change them back!" Natsu said happily.

"Aye sir!" Happy said, high fiving him.

"Yeah." Gray agreed. "But we don't know how!" He turned to look over at Lyon for a moment. "Lyon! Do you know?" He asked.

Lyon just looked at him with a deadpan stare. "To be quite honest, I don't have a clue."

"You don't know?" Natsu asked incredulously.

"What?!" Happy yelled.

"Not surprising." Kage said. Everyone looked at him in confusion as I nodded in agreement. "The villagers told us that the curse started around the same time you showed up." He said, nodding at Lyon. "It stands to reason that you never informed the villagers that you and your forces were on the island, so that they couldn't make any kind of connection to you and the curse, right?"

Lyon nodded. "When we first arrived three years ago, we were aware there was a village somewhere on this island, but we had absolutely no reason to communicate with the villagers, so we left them alone." He explained. "And they never came to the temple to see what we were up to."

"In three years, you've never once met?" Erza asked.

"I don't understand." Lucy said. "The light from the Moon Drip is so bright, you can see it from practically anywhere on the island. It's kinda weird that they saw it every night and never went to investigate." She explained.

"The villagers weren't transformed by the Moon drip." Lyon said defensively. "It doesn't effect the human body."

"What?" Erza asked, shocked.

"Yeah right." Natsu said. "You're just sayin' that so you and your lackeys'll be of the hook!"

Lyon glared at him. "Just think about it!" He said. "I've been exposed to it as long as they have, and my appearance hasn't changed one bit!"

"He's right." I grudgingly said. They all looked at me in askance. "Moon Drip doesn't have any effects on Human Physiology." I looked at him closely thought. "It does have a few mental effects on humans, but nothing physical." I glared at him, making him flinch slightly. "I'll be taking you to see a mind healer the moment we set foot on the mainland." I then looked back at the others. "I've read about this island before." I explained. "And I've studied the Moon Drip as well. Concentrated moon light has a weird effect on Nature Demons."

Lyon nodded in agreement with me. "You guild wizards can handle it." He said flippantly.

Natsu disagreed. "We're not done with you!" He said. "You destroyed the village and-"

Erza cut him off by putting an armored hand over his mouth. "That's quite enough Natsu." She said. "We already know the reason that the other's followed him. They were simply doing what they thought was right, so there's no need to criticize them for it."

"Explain." I asked.

Erza looked over at me, sighed, then started talking. Apparently, after Dante stopped Tobi, the dog man admitted that they had only joined Lyon because he promised them revenge on the demon that killed their families. He said that he would kill the demon that had taken everything from them, and he would hake sure that it would be gone forever.

"Good enough for me." I said. "Let's go." She released Natsu, and we all started walking away.

"But, what are we gonna do to lift the curse?" He asked.

"I have no idea." Erza said.

"Oh, great." Lucy said.

I stopped for a moment, and looked back to where Gray and Lyon were.

"What are you looking at?" Lyon asked challengingly as Gray looked at him in pity.

"I know you don't wanna hear it." Gray said. "But you really should join a guild. You make new friends, meet new rivals, and maybe even find a new dream to live for." he explained.

Lyon looked at him, startled, before looking away. "Whatever." He said fiercely. "Just get out of here." Gray had a faint smile on his face as he turned to follow us.

"Hey! Lyon!" I yelled. The white haired Mage looked up at me. "Don't go down the dark path again." I said seriously. "I'll be keeping tabs on you, just in case, so don't go causin' any trouble." He nodded, a serious look on his face.

I smiled at him, and walked off.

* * *

The camp was abandoned when we got back.

"That's weird, where is everybody?" Happy asked.

"You sure they came here?" Natsu asked.

"Positive." Kage said, looking around in confusion. "This is their base camp, but where did they all go?"

"Hello?!" Dante yelled as he walked.

"Since we're here I'm gonna grab bandages and some medicine." Gray said, ducking into the medical tent."

"You finally made it back!" We heard. Everyone whirled around to see one of the villagers run up behind us. "Please! Follow me, there's something you need to see in the village."

"What's going on?" I questioned.

"It's like a miracle!" He said, smiling...


	43. Burst

**Part ten of the mass update. We've only got one more chapter to go before the Galuna Island Arc, and the mass update are over!**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, then Dragon Slayers would be majorly different, and Fairy Tail would have quite a few more members that were once enemies. I don't own any of the Celestial Demons either.**

* * *

"...Holy shit." I whispered as we walked into the newly rebuilt village.

"Woah, are you kidding me?" Lucy asked.

"Yesterday it was a total mess, but now it looks perfect!" Happy said.

Natsu banged on the nearest building, testing it. "What's goin' on here?" He asked. "Everything's back to how it was! It's like the village went back in time!"

"Now that's it's fixed, you probably shouldn't touch anything, kay Natsu?" Lucy suggested weakly.

"Are you sayin' I destroy everything I touch?!" He snarled.

"Well...Kinda." Lucy admitted.

Dante chuckled. "She's gotcha pinned Natsu." he said jokingly.

"Wait, back in time?" Natsu said, thinking for a moment. "Was it him...?" He said to himself. "Nah, couldn't be..." He said dismissing it. "Unless he had a change of heart." We all looked at him in interest. "Ah who cares!" he finished, making us all sweat drop.

"What are you talking about?" Lucy said, confused for a moment before dismissing it. "Oh! I forgot about our stuff!" She took off running as I shook my head and started walking away with Dante, Erza, and Kage in tow.

Eventually, I found my feet leading me towards the gravestones. To my relief, they had all been repaired as well, and the chief was sitting in front of Bobo's grave. I walked forwards, making sure that he could hear my steps, before placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me, sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry that we couldn't do more." I apologized.

"You and your wizard friends used magic to restore our village, didn't you?" The chief asked.

"This wasn't our doing." I admitted.

He looked surprised for a moment. "Still, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. However, I must know," he said seriously. "When are you wizards finally going to destroy the moon for us?! Well?!"

"That's a simple task." I said gently. "Destroying the moon isn't too big a job for someone like me."

"What the..." Gray said, looking over at me. "Did she just say that with a straight face?" He asked Dante.

"That she did." Dante said, smirking at me, seeing where I was going with it.

"But before I do that, I need to ask you a few questions." I asked. "Can you call everyone together?"

"That I can." He said, before he raced into the village.

Everyone gathered together in the village center. "Let me get this straight." I said, after listening to their answers for hours. "You only started transforming _after_ the moon turned purple?"

"Yes." The chief confirmed. "During the day we're fine, but when the moon comes out we transform into what you see now."

"And the moon first turned purple about three years ago, right?" I asked, looking at them.

"Wow, has it really been that long?" A random demon asked.

"Yeah," Another confirmed.

"We know that the Moon Drip ceremony has been preformed on this island every night for the last three years." Erza announced, pacing back and forth in front of the villagers. "And each night it produced a beam of light that was brilliant enough you couldn't possibly have missed it."

I took a few more steps forwards, before I fell into Lucy's disregarded pitfall trap. I squealed as I fell, before yelling. "LUCY!"

When I got back to the surface, said blond was cowering behind Kage, terrified as I glared at her. I ignored her for now, I would get back at her later, and returned my attention to the villagers. "Did any of you ever think to figure out where that light was coming from? I mean seriously, it's a freaking bright glowing **beacon** of light that shoots up into the sky, and it started appearing when you were cursed. And not one of you thought, 'Oh, maybe we should investigate this!'"

The Villagers looked sheepish for a moment. "Well," the chief started. "We would have looked into it, but according to village lore our people must never go near that temple."

"But who cares about village lore when your own people are dying?" Lucy asked. "You obviously knew there was a problem cause you contacted the Magic Guilds!"

"Um well..." The chief stuttered.

Erza just looked at him. "Why don't you tell us what's really going on here?" She asked.

The chief sighed. "To be honest, we don't even know that ourselves." He admitted. "Allow me to explain. We've tried to investigate the light many times. We'd take up weapons that we've never had to use, I'd trim and style my sideburns, and then we'd venture into the jungle towards the temple. But we could never get near it! We'd get close enough that we could see it through the trees, and then suddenly we'd find ourselves back at the village gates."

"But, how is that possible?" Lucy asked in a shocked whisper. "It doesn't make sense!"

"We got into the temple without any problem at all." Natsu said. "How weird..."

"We didn't say anything to you earlier because we were worried that you wouldn't believe us." One of the Villagers spoke up.

"We're telling you the truth." Another said. "We've tried to go back to the temple many times."

"But not a single villager has ever been able to get inside." One other villager finished.

"I get it." Erza said softly. "Yes..." She started to walk away. She reequipped into an armor I recognized in an instant. "Vega." she said shortly. "I'm going to need your help."

My lips twitched into a smirk. "I think I can see where you're going with this." I said gleefully, my teeth sharp.

"What are you guys going to do?" Kage asked nervously.

Dante settled onto his shoulders with a smug smile. "Isn't it obvious Kage?" He asked.

"We're going to destroy the moon." Erza and I said together.

Everyone's jaws dropped as Erza continued. "It's the only way we can change the villagers back to their human forms."

The villagers started cheering as I looked at her. "They're really gonna do it, and we get to watch it happen!" One of them said excitedly.

"That right." Another said. "And we're finally gonna be human again!"

"So," I asked. "This a good spot? Or do we need to head to higher ground?"

"Here should be fine." She said, shooting me a smirk. "The Villagers need to witness this."

"I don't know what their thinking." Gray said. "I mean, they can do some amazing things, but still…."

"So, what do think their planning to do to it?" Lucy asked.

"This is exciting huh?!" Happy asked.

"More like terrifying." Lucy corrected.

"I must admit, I'm curious." Kage said, looking at me with an appraising eye.

"This is Giant Armor. It increases my strength and allows me to throw farther." Erza explained. She held out her hand, "And this," A magic circle sprung up at her fingertips, before a spear appeared in her hand. She slammed the butt of it into the ground dramatically. "This is the spear of Haja, it repels darkness." The crowd gasped in awe.

"Woah!" Natsu said, his face lighting up with childish excitement. "I see what your plannin' now! You're gonna use that spear to knock the moon out of the sky!"

"That's right Natsu." I said to the shock of everyone. "But Erza doesn't have enough strength to get it up there." I smirked. "That's where I come in. Ready?" I asked, turning to look at Erza.

She nodded, and together we climbed up the watchtower. "On your mark Erza." I said, lighting up my fist with silver. "We'll have to time this perfectly."

Erza reared back for the throw, the jewel on her gauntlet glowing brightly, indicating that it's magic was active. "NOW!" She yelled. I reacted in a second, slamming my fist into the back of the spear as she threw it, and blowing the top off the watchtower from the power.

The spear gleamed like a shooting star as it raced towards the moon at high speeds. "Almost there!" Erza said. The spear struck the moon dead center, and everyone froze for a moment before crack marks appeared. The cracks spread out from the center to encompass the entire moon, before cracking a little further.

"NO WAY!" Gray and Lucy yelled.

Suddenly, the sky shattered into a million pieces.

"Holy Shit." Kage said softly.

"The moon..." Natsu whispered.

"It's still there!" The chief yelled in shock.

"It wasn't the moon that shattered." Lucy said, putting her hands out as if to catch the falling shards. "It was, the sky."

"What the heck is goin on?!" Natsu demanded.

"As a result of the spell a noxious membrane was covering the island." Erza explained with a smile as we climbed down.

"What?" Natsu asked.

"The Moon Drip released evil energy in the form of a gas." She said.

"That gas, crystallized and formed an invisible shell in the sky that covered the island." I said with a laugh. "That's why the moon looked purple here." I watched in smug satisfaction as gold light flashed up around the villagers. "Now that the shell's broken, everything will go back to the way it was three years ago." Suddenly the light disappeared, confusing the hell out of everyone except Me, Erza, Dante, and Kage.

"What's wrong?" Gray asked. "They're not transforming."

"Oh no." Happy said mournfully.

"That's because these are their true forms." Erza said. "The Moon Drip never had any effect on their appearance, however it seems to have altered their memories."

Kage burst out laughing. "Looks like you were right Vega." He said to the confusion of the others. "Humans who were cursed to transform into humans, when it's the other way around." He explained as I smiled smugly.

"Wait, so you're saying, they're really…?" Lucy said nervously.

"Yup, you've got it." Erza said, sending Lucy and Gray into a meltdown. "The Villagers have always been demons." Lucy sank to the ground, holding her head as she tried to process everything.

"Hey is that true?!" Gray demanded from the demon closest to him.

"Well, maybe." The demon answered uncertainly. "My memory's hazy, we all looked pretty human when you met us didn't we?" He asked.

"Yes," Erza said. "Because you possessed the ability to take on human forms. Your false memories led to to believe your temporary states were actually your true forms. In reality you were demons who had fallen victim to the Moon Drip's side effects."

"Hold on." Lucy said, snapping out of her melt down. "How come Lyon and the others weren't effected."

"Simple." I said. "They're human, and the Moon Drip has absolutely no effect on humans besides a few behavior changes."

"I knew what was going on as soon as the villagers told me they were unable to go to the temple." Erza explained. "The moonlight collected there was sacred, therefor creatures of darkness couldn't go near it."

"You're quite the detective." A voice said as my ears caught the sound of approaching footsteps. We all turned and were greeted to the sight of a tall male maroon demon that looked startlingly similar to the chief. "I knew I could trust you and your friends. Thanks wizards, I owe you one."

Lucy and Happy freaked. "GHOST!"

Gray just looked gobsmacked. "You're the guy from the boat!"

"Bobo?" The chief whispered.

The other villagers were just as shocked. "But I thought you were…?" One of the started.

"Getting stabbed in the chest hurt pretty bad." Bobo admitted, rubbing the area over his heart fro a moment before he started laughing. "But you've gotta do more than that to kill a demon!"

"But on the boat." Gray said, looking confused. "You just disappeared into thin air."

Bobo leapt up into the air, unfurling his wings. "I really hope you kids can forgive me for not telling you the truth sooner!" He yelled down.

"He can fly?!" Gray asked.

"I was the only one who didn't have any memory loss!" Bobo explained, a wide grin on his face. "I had to leave cause everyone went nuts! I knew I was a demon, but everyone else? Suddenly they thought they were cursed humans!" He kept roaring with laughter.

The chief just watched in silence for a minute longer, before releasing his own wings and leaping up to tackle hug his son midair with tears in his eyes.

Bobo just hugged his dad back with a smile. "I'm so glad you finally snapped out of it pops!" He said happily.

The rest of the villagers looked at each other with smiles on their faces, before each of them unfurled their own wings and leapt up to fly and celebrate.

"You're alive!"

"We got Bobo back!"

"Yup, they are definitely demons." Erza said as we all watched them with a smile.

"I don't know." Natsu interjected. "If you look at their faces, they kinda look, more like angels to me."

"LETS HAVE A FEAST TONIGHT TO CELEBRATE!" One of the villagers crowed.

"IT'LL BE AN ALL OUT DEMON PARTY!" Another agreed.

"I don't know if I'm rowdy enough to party with demons." Lucy said nervously.

"Me either." Happy agreed.

"Come on guys." I said turning to them with a smile. "It can't possibly be as bad as a Fairy Tail party."

"Really?" Kage asked curiously.

Dante nodded. "You haven't even seen the guild at it's worst party yet greenhorn." He said, smirking enough that his teeth were showing.

"WELL WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR!" I yelled. "LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

Let me tell you one thing, when Demons party, they PARTY.

There was great food, alcohol flowed like water, we got to dance around a bonfire, Natsu was happily scarfing down the fire from any torch he could get his hands on, and I got to laugh as Gray and Kage were mobbed by demon fan girls!

Of course Gray didn't really see it, and Kage was just as happily flirting back even though I knew he wasn't serious. He liked Laki too much for that to happen.

"Seems like some people are enjoying themselves." I said, pointing out the male mages as they dragged the two of them out into the dance area.

"It's looks like some people are getting a lot of attention from the ladies!" Lucy said, a joking grin on her face.

"Gray'll scare them off sooner or later." Happy said.

"And Kage is too devoted to winning over Laki to seriously flirt." Dante finished.

"Well I have to admit." The chief started. "I was wrong about humans." We all looked at him. "All these years we've chosen to hide from the outside world. We were so afraid that others would judge us by or appearance." He said sheepishly.

"You know the curse?" Bobo asked. We all nodded. "That was just a rumor we spread so no one would come to the island and bother us."

"Well it worked." Lucy said. "Cause the sailors at the dock were terrified. Nobody wanted to come here."

"I know, and it's a shame." The chief said, before he smiled at us. "But after meeting you we've changed our minds. You've restored our faith in humans and now we're not afraid. We're ready to go out and befriend people from other lands."

"That's good." Erza said. "Friendship is a beautiful thing. It's an emotional bond that transcends one's physical appearance." We all nodded in agreement.

But as I laughed, ate, and drank with the demons, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was forgetting something important….

* * *

 **Third Person POV:**

Three figures stood up on the ridge overlooking the village.

"Are you really gonna go down there?" Tobi asked.

"I have no choice. It wouldn't be right to leave things the way they are now." Yuka said baring his sharp teeth. "you just stay here with Cold Emperor Lyon, okay?" Tobi grumbled in agreement.

"We have to do this." Sherry said. "It's all in the name of love."


	44. Forgiveness

**Part eleven, and the last part of the mass update! I love hearing your opinions on the story, and I hope more of you will start reviewing cause I'm making the arc chapters longer!**

 **I think you guys know by now that I don't own anything but Vega and Dante, along with their respective magic.**

* * *

My bad feeling came to a head as my ears detected footsteps. The villagers went silent as I watched the gate with apprehensive eyes.

It was Luka and Sherry, and they were just calmly walking towards everyone.

"Oh no, not again."

"It's the Cold Emperor's minions."

Whispers sprung up all around me as I got to my feet. In seconds my team was around me, silently backing me up as the two stopped. "Can I help you?" I demanded coldly.

"You Fairy Tailers are tough." Yuka said. "The Cold Emperor is so banged up he couldn't even make it down here."

"That's why we've come to pay you a visit in his place." Sherry said coldly.

"Wait just a minute!" Lucy said, stepping up beside me. "I thought we were cool! Didn't Lyon tell you guys what happened?

"Yes." Yuka said, his face still pulled into a vicious smile. "But that doesn't matter to us."

"We wanted to settle things with you ourselves." Sherry said coldly.

"Alright!" Natsu said, rushing forwards eagerly. "Why don't you show me what you've got!" His hand lit up with fire.

"Wait Natsu!" Bobo said sternly. We all looked at him. "Thanks for the help, but we can't keep relying on you. So let us fight him!"

"He's right, we've got these clowns."

"If we wanna keep our village safe we've gotta protect it."

"Normally I would agree with you gentlemen." Erza said, stepping between them and the others. "But I think it's best that I handle this one." She looked at me in askance, and I nodded in approval. With a small smile to me, she schooled her expression and walked forwards.

"We meet again Titania of Fairy Tail." Sherry said coldly. "You gave dear Angelica quite a beating earlier."

"She seems like a formidable opponent." Yuka commented.

"Watch out for that creepy chick!" Lucy yelled. "She can control inanimate objects!"

"And don't even bother tryin' to use your magic against old mega brows." Natsu added.

"Is that so?" Erza asked almost sarcastically. "In that case," She rushed forwards. "I'll do it the old fashioned way!" She launched a powerful round house kick at Sherry, before turning around and launching a vicious sucker punch at Yuka, knocking them both on their backs.

"Holy..." Natsu muttered.

"She didn't even have to use any magic!" Lucy said in surprise as the villagers watched in awe.

Kage whistled in appreciation. "I knew she was strong, but not that strong."

"That's the great Erza for ya!" Happy said cheerfully.

"Would you cut that out?" Lucy asked in annoyance.

"She's just as stubborn and bullheaded as always." Dante said face pawing as he sat on my shoulder. I just shook my head in exasperation.

"You are truly and amazing warrior." Sherry said, struggling to stand up.

"No kidding." Yuka agreed, brushing away the thin trail of blood at the corner of his mouth. "We're no match for you, or your friend there." He nodded over at me as I raised an eyebrow in interest. "We kinda learned that the hard way with her after all."

"Damn straight." I muttered. Dante put a paw over his mouth to keep from snickering.

"Wait, so you're not here to attack us?" Lucy asked, confused.

Yuka's eyes just fell. "I doubt this is going to make up for all the trouble we've caused you." He started. "But we wanted to apologize in person."

"Oh, so you came here to settle things in a good way!" Happy stated.

"The Cold Emperor told us everything." Sherry said, looking at me with a small smile. "Thanks to you we can finally let go of the pain Deliora caused us so many years ago."

"You mean, you were victims of Deliora too?" Gray asked.

"When we were children that monster ravaged our village." Yuka explained, his eyes closed in sadness. "We watched it murder all of our friends and family."

"The Cold Emperor had a plan to kill the demon once and for all." Sherry said. "That's why we joined him."

They didn't meet our eyes as they continued speaking. "You see, we wanted revenge, and we were so focused on getting it we never realized we were hurting innocent people." Yuka said sadly.

"We were so blinded that by our hatred that we ended up acting no better than the demon itself." Sherry said regretfully. "From now on, we'll treat other people with respect and _love_."

I was about to walk forward to threaten them and then accept their apologies, when Natsu totally shattered the mood...

"ALRIGHTY THEN!" Natsu yelled lunging forwards and wrapping his arms around their shoulders to their shock. "You guys should stick around and join in on the feast!" He said happily.

"But, but we were enemies just a second ago!" Yuka protested, disbelief in his voice.

Sherry looked more nervous though. "I don't think it's a good idea cause I'm trying to watch my figure and-"

"Enough with the excuses!" Natsu yelled, cutting her off. "Live a little would ya?!" Next thing they knew, they were sitting front and center in the feast, eyeing the demons around them nervously. Natsu just watched with a big grin on his face. "OKAY! NOW I'M READY TO PARTY!"

Everyone just started laughing and went back to partying.

"Hey Vega!" Dante yelled as the dance area started getting even busier. I looked over at him with a grin. "Care to add to the music?"

I smiled and nodded. A few of the demons picked up instruments and started playing a song I knew well.

My voice rang strong and clear as I sang.

 **(Play: Disney's Brave (2010) Touch the Sky)**

 _"When the cold winds are calling_

 _And the sky is clear and bright!_

 _Misty Mountains sing and beckon_

 _Lead me out into the light!_

 _I will ride, I will fly!_

 _Chase the wind and touch the sky!_

 _I will fly_

 _Chase the wind and touch the sky!_

 _Na na naa na_

 _Na na naa na_

 _Na na naa na_

 _Na na na_

 _Na na naa na_

 _Na na naa na_

 _Na na naa na_

 _Na na naaaa!"_

Everyone was laughing and singing along with the music as the musicians trailed off into the instrumental. A wide smile was on my face as I grabbed Bobo and started teaching him the steps. I started singing again as the music picked up again.

 _"Where dark woods hide secrets_

 _And the mountains are fierce and bold_

 _Deep waters hold reflections_

 _Of times lost long ago._

 _I will hear their every story_

 _Take hold of my own dream!_

 _Be as strong as the seas are stormy_

 _And proud as an eagle's scream!_

 _I will ride, I will fly!_

 _Chase the wind and touch the sky!_

 _I will fly_

 _Chase the wind and touch the sky!_

 _Na na naa na_

 _Na na naa na_

 _Na na naa na!_

 _(And touch the sky!)_

 _Na na na_

 _Na na naa na_

 _Na na naa na_

 _(Chase the wind!_

 _Chase the wind!)_

 _Na na naa na_

 _Na na naaaa!_

 _(And touch the sky!)"_

Everyone let off cheers as the musicians and I took a bow, then the next song started up and we continued to party through the night...

* * *

 **Third Person POV;**

"Were you able to see all that sir?" Zalty asked the glowing crystal ball next to him.

 _"Yes, Why did you restore the village?"_ A deep male voice asked.

"Cause I'm nice." Zalty said, sarcastically giving a thumbs up.

 _"Some might say too nice. You'd better leave before they find you. Those Fairy Tail Wizards, they could pose quite a threat should they get in our way."_

Zalty pulled off his mask, revealing a middle aged man with dark spikey hair, before he morphed into a woman with long midnight purple hair. She was wearing a thigh length kimono, with a yellow sash that was tied into a bow on her back. A red choker with a silver buckle was around her neck, while black flats were on her feet. "That's true." She said standing and grabbing her crystal ball...

* * *

 **Vega's POV;**

The next morning we started packing up to leave.

"Where'd Eyebrows and Love Girl go?" Natsu asked, still gulping down torches like there was no tomorrow.

"Like typical party guests they stuffed their faces and took off." Happy said.

"I think it's gonna leave a scar." Lucy said, examining the cut above Gray's left eye.

"Whatever." Gray said. "It doesn't matter to me."

"On your face?!" Lucy asked.

"I don't mind havin' a few scars as long as I can see 'em." Gray explained. "It's the one's you can't see that sting."

"Well aren't you a smooth talker?" Lucy asked slyly.

"So you've got _invisible scars_?" Natsu asked mockingly.

"Shut up Natsu!" Gray snapped back. "Every time I say somethin' cool you gotta ruin it!"

"How was that cool?" Natsu asked.

"As promised, the reward." The Chief said, happily presenting me with two sacks of jewel and a Golden Gate Key.

"Thank you." I said, handing off one of the sacks to Kage, his cut of the reward. "It was a pleasure meeting you all, and I'll be sure to visit sometime."

"Ready to head back to Hargeon?" Bob asked. "I'll take you there."

"That will not be necessary." Erza spoke up. "I have a boat waiting."

My eyebrows shot up when Erza led us back to the shore, cause waiting for us was a decent sized pirate ship.

"A pirate ship?!" Gray asked.

"You kidding me?!" Lucy asked. "Did she hijack it?!"

"This is awesome!" Happy said excitedly.

"Ahoy me beauty!" The captain and crew cheered out.

"Me beauty?" I questioned, raising a teasing eyebrow at Erza.

"That's right, they've become quite fond of me." The redhead said, sounding amused.

"Better not tell Jellal about this then." I teased, making her turn red.

I shook my head as the captain called out again. "Ahoy, come aboard me ship maties!"

"Maties?" Gray questioned.

"I don't wanna!" Lucy yelled, freaking out slightly. "I'm not riding that creepy boat!"

"If you wanna swim I'll join ya." Natsu offered.

"Are you insane?!" Lucy shot back.

"Sounds like a pretty good idea to me." I said, flinging myself into the ocean as the ship shoved off. My feet morphed into my mermaid tail in a flash of silver, and I jumped out of the water, laughing at everyone's shocked gasps. With a wide smile on my face I flipped and dove back in.

"Mermaid off the port bow!" The pirate captain yelled jokingly.

"We thank you! Hope you guys come back some day!" Bobo called out as the villagers waved goodbye.

"It's a promise!" I called back, pausing in my swimming for a moment to wave back at him, before starting off again.

* * *

 **Third Person POV;**

"It's quite a shame that Deliora didn't work out." The woman from the island said.

"Yes, it is unfortunate." A man replied. He was tall and muscular, with a white turban covering most of his dark brown hair, an eyepatch over his left eye, and black eyes. His left arm was covered in a green and white striped sleeve, while the rest of his torso was bare. His loose dark grey pants were held up by a white sash, while a light blue sash decorated with red dragons draped over his left shoulder. He closed the book he was reading, and levitated it back up to it's place on the shelves. "But we had no way of knowing the demon was already dying. Say la ve, it's a relatively minor setback, I'll be more thorough next time."

"Forgive me Simon Sir. I had no idea that Wench's magic was so powerful." The woman said again.

"You shouldn't speak about your mother that way." Simon chassed, turning towards her. "Don't cause Ur to shed another tear. She was a magnificent wizard who was greatly admired. In fact, I think if she was still alive today she would be counted among the ten wizard saints."

"You give her far too much credit." The woman said, flipping her hair back. "My mother loved her magic, and nothing else. It's no wonder my father abandoned the wretch."

"They say the greater the loss a person suffers, the stronger they must become to triumph over it." Simon pointed out.

"I highly doubt that my mother ever felt that I was a great loss."

"You never know." Simon said, closing his yes. "What if she took on those students to fill the void you left behind?" He opened his eyes again when the woman set a finger against his lips.

"Can we please change the subject?" She asked, sounding slightly annoyed. "I think it's time for us to move on to the next stage."

Simon just raised an eyebrow, before noticing a growing bump on her face. "Ultear, your face. What happened?"

Ultear froze for a moment, before the bump started to sting. "THAT IDIOT NATSU PUNCHED ME!" She roared angrily, smacking a soothing hand over the bump.

Simon just laughed. "That certainly is a delayed reaction!" He said, chuckling. "So how was he? Di you find him to be a worthy opponent?"

Ultear just shot him an annoyed glance as she rubbed the stinging spot. "I never had to use more than half of my power against him." She reported. "But I was impressed. It seems he's getting stronger with each passing day."

Simon just looked unimpressed. "I'm not surprised. He **is** Igneel's son." His fists clenched angrily. "To realize my dream, he must continue burning brightly. But what of Vega?" He asked.

Ultear frowned deeply. "She is far more powerful than I anticipated." She admitted. "She demonstrated proficiency in a magic I am unfamiliar with." Simon raised an eyebrow and Ultear obeyed the silent request to elaborate. "She called it **Sacred Art: Paladin Purge**."

Simon's eyes widened in shock, flashing from their normal black to a bright blue, before he schooled his expression. "Interesting..."

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

"Haha We're home!" Natsu yelled out when we got home the next day.

"Aye sir!" Happy yelled out too.

"I'm bummed." Gray admitted. "All that time and hard work and nothing to show for it."

"I did tell you that you wouldn't be getting any of the reward." I said, raising an eyebrow at him. "After all, Kage, Dante, and I were the ones who officially took the job. You four were just tag alongs, and Erza only come to bring you idiots back." I perked up and pulled the Gate Key out of my pocket. "Speaking of rewards, Lucy." The blond mage looked at me in surprise as I held up the key. "A Celestial Summoner Mage I may be, but not of Spirits." I tossed it to her, and she looked at me with wide eyes when she caught it. "I'm pretty sure that's Sagittarius' key. I think you'll enjoy his company."

"Thanks Vega!" Lucy said happily, looking over the key with appraising eyes.

"Can we sell it?!" Happy asked excitedly.

"How could you even suggest that Happy?!" Lucy shot back. "You guys just don't get it, they're really hard to come by! Sure there are lots of Silver Gate Keys, but there are only twelve Golden Zodiac Keys, and I'm lucky enough to have five."

"Never do that again Happy." I said sternly, frowning slightly at him. "For a Celestial Summoner it's unthinkable to sell keys, even uncontracted ones, and it's extremely rude to even suggest that to one of us."

"So which one is Sagittarius?" Gray asked curiously.

"The centaur!" Lucy said, a wide smile on her face.

"It's a horse man?!" Gray asked, imagining a man with the head of a horse.

"Well, yeah, but it's more like this..." Lucy corrected, imagining the classic centaur. Meanwhile, Natsu was imagining a weird squid creature with a flower for a head. "That is not even close dummy..." Lucy said,

"You're all so carefree." Erza said. "It's almost as if you've forgotten you face punishment when we get back to the guild."

All of them flinched in shock, looking back at Erza with wide eyes. "But why?!" Natsu asked.

"Everything worked out in the end!" Lucy added. "Can't we just forget about the whole punishment thing?!"

"You're right." Erza agreed. "Everything worked out, but only because Vega and I finished the job none of you were qualified to do." She continued fiercely. "Stealing an S-Class request is a serious offence."

"We said we're sorry." Lucy said weakly.

"Be that as it may," I said, leveling a flat glare at the three, making them flinch. "You are all still in major trouble."

"But if you promise that you'll never to do it again, then I don't think you'll need to be penalized by the guild. Unfortunately I don't have any say in the matter. You're fate is in Makarov's hands, so I'm sure you'll be facing punishment."

"Now I'm scared! You think he's going to make us do _**that**_?!" Happy asked nervously.

Gray froze for a moment, before _completely_ panicking. "JUST KILL ME NOW! I DON'T THINK I CAN LIVE THROUGH _**THAT**_ AGAIN!"

"YOU GUYS ARE FREAKING ME OUT!" Lucy said, shivering.

"Don't let him scare ya." Natsu said, brushing it off as he patted Lucy on the shoulder. "I'll talk the old man out of punishing us! That guy loves me!"

"I don't know if you should do the talking..." Lucy deadpanned.

"Natsu, you can't talk your way out of this one." Erza said, smiling slightly. "Good luck with _**that**_."

Natsu still kept his smile, but started to sweat, scaring Lucy. In the blink of an eye, he tried to run, only for Erza to grab him by the collar of his shirt and drag him off. "DON'T TAKE ME! NOT _**THAT!**_ ANYTHING BUT _**THAT!"**_

Lucy just looked even more confused. "WOULD SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT _**THAT**_ IS?!" She yelled. "I'M TOTALLY FREAKING OUT!"

"Is it really that bad?" Kage asked me nervously.

My lips pulled into a toothy grin as I remembered. "Yeah, it's that bad." I started laughing as Kage looked a me in fear.


	45. Changeling

**I am Freerunner4427.**

 **I am not an angel.**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail, or the Celestial Demons.**

 **I do own Vega, Dante, Belladonna, Chui, and the Dragons though.**

 **I have come...Enjoy the Story!**

* * *

"Is Master Makarov here?" Erza demanded as we entered the guild.

"You're finally back from your island getaway." Mira greeted happily. "So how was it? Did you have fun?"

"It was work, not a vacation." Erza said.

"She's got you there Mira." I agreed sheepishly.

"Uh Mira Jane, I wouldn't joke with her right now." Lucy cautioned.

"Where is Makarov?" Erza demanded again.

"He went out of town for some kind of last minute council meeting or something like that." Macao offered. "He's been gone since yesterday."

"Well, it wasn't a Magic Council meeting." I said, moving over to sit the bar as Dante jumped up to sit on my lap. "I would've been notified if it was."

The three idiots and cat let out sighs of relief. "Well that was a close one!" Natsu said.

"Yes! We won't have to deal with that till Gramps gets back!" Gray said, fist pumping.

"Oh thank goodness." Happy said, crying tears of relief. "I wasn't ready to stare into the face of death, I've still got eight more lives!"

"I CAN'T STAND IT ANY MORE!" Lucy yelled, rambling. "YOU GUYS ARE REALLY FREAKING ME OUT! HOW'S HE GONNA PUNISH US?! I CAN'T DIE NOW I'M STILL YOUNG AND I'VE GOT SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TOO!"

"ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!" Erza roared, making them squeak, freeze, and shake in fear. "Do you know when the Master is planning to return?"

"No." Mira Jane said. "But I would imagine he'll be coming back any time now." Erza nodded in acceptance, before turning back to the idiots.

"Now listen up you fools!" She said. "You're not getting off the hook! You broke guild rules by taking on that S-Class quest. Prepare to be punished!" Natsu and Gray actually hugged one another in their panic, while Lucy started freaking out again.

"HOW DO I PREPARE MYSELF IF I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN?!" She yelled.

"Well it was nice knowin' ya." Wakaba said jokingly. I held back a laugh as he continued, smoking a cigarette at the same time. "It's a cryin' shame. Those two boys are one thing, but I can't believe Lucy's gettin' punished too." He shot her a pitying look. "Oh you poor girl."

"You poor girl?" Lucy questioned weakly as Gray and Natsu started stalking forwards.

"What's the deal man?!" Natsu demanded. "How come you don't feel sorry for us huh?!"

"What's the deal dumpin' me in with this looser?!" Gray demanded. They quickly dissolved into a brawl from there, and I tuned them out.

"A big part of being a man is owning up to your actions." Elfman said. "You hear that you two?! It's high time for you to man up!"

"It's not fair!" Happy said, crying. "I'm the cutest one here so how come nobody feels sorry for me?!"

"Can somebody **please** tell me what's gonna happen to us?!" Lucy demanded, panicking.

* * *

Much later, I was relaxing upstairs with a bottle of scotch when I started hearing a commotion downstairs.

Everyone was milling around and acting _very_ out of character.

That's when I saw the job request on the table and started laughing.

"What are you laughin' about Vega!" Lucy yelled up at me. Or should I say Gray.

"I can't believe you guys fell for a Gag Job!" I yelled back, still laughing my ass off.

"What are you talking about?" Happy/Erza demanded. "And why are you still laughing?! WE'RE STUCK LIKE THIS FOREVER!"

"No you're not." I said, walking down the stairs. "The spell, actually called Changeling, only lasts for about two hours."

"Impossible!" Levy said, looking over at me as I stepped up beside her. "The book says it's permanent!"

"That's what they wanted you to think." I explained. Then I pointed back down at the book, while flaring a bit of magic. New words appeared right under the passage about it. It read:

 _To those who know the trickster way_

 _This spell will not last the day._

 _An hour or two they'll have to suffer_

 _Wearing the skin of another._

I burst out laughing again as Levy's face fell. "Ancient Wizards had a hell of a sense of humor!" I said between chuckles. "And they decided to encrypt a lot of their joke spells for future generations of tricksters! Check out the name of the one who requested the Job!" Instead of a name, an almost invisible Guild Mark was stamped onto the corner of the paper that was meant for signatures. A grinning fox head. "That's the Mark of Grinning Kitsune, a treasure hunter guild that's notorious for pranking magic guilds with ancient spells." Everyone's jaws dropped as I explained. "The only way to actually _get_ the reward, is to catch the prank before it happens. If you rearrange the modern letters it says, _'_ _To you who can read this,_ _Grinning Kitsune_ _commends_ _you_ _fellow trickster_ _.'_ " I held out a hand as the request flashed and an amused fox bark sounded, before it disappeared and a large bag of jewel landed in my hand.

With a grin, I walked away with my money as everyone else's jaws dropped.

* * *

 _"They actually fell for it?"_ A girl with long light brown hair, bright blue eyes, and black glasses asked, her eyes lighting up with unholy glee, emphasizing the purple guild mark on her right cheek.

"Yeah they did." I said. My lips twitched into a smirk as the other girl broke down laughing on the other end of the Communication Lacrima. I held up the bag of jewel. "I suppose you want this back?" I asked.

 _"Hell no."_ She said, getting back up and looking at me with a shit eating grin. _"God knows we have more money lying around than we will ever need."_

"Send more of those gag jobs our way though." I requested. "All the money I'm making from them goes directly into the guild's vaults."

She smiled. _"Will do Vega. Oh, expect a visit from_ The Lynchpin _soon. She's apparently got an Agent from the United Council of the Multiverse_ _tailing her now,_ _and get this! He actually has a mind of his own!_ And _a hilarious sense of_ _vindictive_ _humor!_ _"_

"Wow, that _**is**_ a rarity. I'll keep an eye out for them, Freerunner."


	46. The Lynchpin

**Hey guys! So this one was co-written by my government watcher from 1,001 Things I'm NOT Allowed to do in: Kingdom Hearts. Say hi _Infinity!_**

 _Hello all you nerds, geeks, crazies, llamas, and all the other Internet people I'm too lazy to mention. If you can't tell, I'm_ Infinity _, a.k.a. that one guy, a.k.a the bringer of coffee, a.k.a. the apathetic one._

 _My ridiculous government salary has found my way here, and where here is...Well, **here** is debatable actually. All I know is Missy over here has been dragging me around all over the place because I amuse her, and I kinda have to follow. Oh well, at least it's never boring._

 **Damn right it's never boring! Those idiots on the Council can suck it, I'm stealing you from them to be my new accomplice in all things chaotic. Alright then _Infinity_ , would you like to do the honor of the Disclaimer?**

 _Kingdom Hearts and any other pieces of entertainment mentioned are not owned by Freerunner4427, yada yada yada legal stuff. I think you people get the point by now. See? Simple and understandable._

 **I should also mention that I don't own Fairy Tail, H.P. Lovecraft, or Warhammer 40K either...**

 **Alrighty then... ON TO THE STORY!**

* * *

 **Third Person POV:**

It was just another average day in Magnolia. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the citizens were going about their business, all the while blissfully unaware that an ancient primordial of chaos and her government watcher were slowly making their way towards the resident guild.

"I'm telling you Infinity, those Jackasses had it coming!" The girl of the pair said. She was about normal height at 5'6" and had waist length light brown hair, bright purple eyes, and lightly tanned skin. She was wearing a plain white tee-shirt, blue jeans, and black boots, while wearing an unzipped royal purple trench coat overtop the whole thing. Her mouth was set into a mischievous grin that could put most villains to shame, while the twinkle in her eyes spelled certain doom for anyone that happened to catch her interest.

"V, we can both agree that they are stuck up. We can also agree that they can be assholes. We can finally agree that some of their rules are stupid, but there is something I can't agree on, and that is making me lose my pay. I like pranks as much as you, but you practically blew up HQ! If people can't do their jobs, then WHO WRITES MY PAYCHECK?! You are _so_ lucky they can fix the damages quickly and easily..." Said the guy of the pair. He was about 5'8" with blond hair, stormy grey eyes covered by a pair of aviators, and pale skin. He was wearing a black hoody with a silver zipper that had 'When in doubt: Coffee' written on the back, dark blue jeans, and brown combat boots. He had a pair of headphones around his neck that had 'Cthulhu is my friend' written on them, while a cute chibi Cthulhu was pictured underneath it, and a knife sheath rested on his right hip. He had a look that somehow was a combination of annoyance, amusement, and apathy all at the same time on his face.

"Of course." The newly named Veronica said, nonchalantly brushing him off. "That's exactly why Freerunner offered to make up the difference on your paychecks for every day it was late." She shot him a bright innocent smile as he glared at her. "Besides, it was part of the bribe to get you to come with me, remember?" Her face turned serious for a second. "I've been meaning to come here for awhile actually. Vega told me about something that majorly disturbed her about a job she had awhile ago. Something about a weird mage that managed to summon some kind of Eldritch Abomination, and was going to unleash it on a nearby town before she stopped him and shoved the artifact he was using into a portal." She looked forwards again, zeroing in on the guild hall in the distance. "I just hope it's a false alarm."

"Wait what? Again?" Infinity asked looking alarmed.

"Yup." Veronica said.

Infinity started muttering under his breath, and Veronica managed to catch the words "Damn H.P Lovecraft," and "I knew that would come back to haunt me."

Veronica nodded in sympathy as Infinity kept cursing, right up until the moment when he smacked headlong into this guy going the other direction.

He blinked in surprise as he took a step back, rubbing his temple. "Hey, sorry about that, wasn't looking where I was going, no thanks to some people..." He said, glaring at Veronica at the last part, before looking back. "My name is Jack Smith." He said smoothly.

"It's no problem." The other guy groaned, rubbing his head for a second. "Not the first time it's happened, and probably won't be the last."

"Yeah, still I should have been looking harder. My associate Veronica," He pointed a thumb at the girl next to him. "The girl beside me who is probably thinking up some yaoi fantasy, and I were headed to meet a friend. Again sorry Mr... I don't believe I caught your name?" Infinity asked.

"HEY!" Veronica snapped. "I'm not into yaoi!"

The guy chuckled for a second. "Gray, Gray Fullbuster, and it's no problem."

"Wait a minute..." Veronica said, looking at the new guy for a moment with narrowed eyes. "I know that name!" Her smile brightened. "You're the Ice Lord of Fairy Tail! The one Vega was talking about when she wrote me about her last job!"

Infinity scoffed as he looked at Veronica. "Yeah right, and I'm actually your long lost twin brother. I've seen the chart Nica, the ships don't lie." Infinity froze, then looked at Gray as the words processed. "Wait... If he's _that_ Gray...And he knows Vega...And Vega knows him..." Infinity paused and sighed. He could see where this was going. "Remind me again why I'm out here to visit your probably as chaotic alternate self?"

"You're here because I promised you copious amounts of alcohol, ancient tomes of magic, and the opportunity to flirt with hot chicks." Veronica said smugly. "And for the record Vega's actually one of the more serious versions of me." She pointed out. "She can usually handle whatever's thrown at her, but this one actually scared her. That's why we're here."

 _'What the hell?'_ Gray though, confused as the two argued back and forth. _'Alternate self?'_

Infinity nodded slowly, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Ahhhh, I knew there was a reason. Not like I wasn't going to come anyway." Infinity then quickly raised a hand signaling to wait a moment when Veronica opened her mouth to protest. "You already promised, I won't let you out of that." Then, seeing the look of confusion upon Gray's face Infinity began to explain. "Not surprising Vega has not told you. Long story short, everything you think you know is at best a fraction of the truth. For now though, you can stick with we are not from around here, but rest assured that we probably are going to wreck some poor idiot. It's kinda what me and her are good at." He hooked a thumb at Veronica, who waved cheerfully.

"And with that," Veronica said, before pulling out a notebook. "Can I get your autograph?" She asked, presenting Gray with the pen.

"The hell?" He asked, looking gobsmaked as he took the pen and signed his name unthinkingly.

Veronica squealed. "Vexen's gonna be sooooo jealous! He told me he was one signature away from having the complete collection of Ice User Signatures. He's gonna be pissed that I met you first!"

She skipped away, leaving two completely confused men in her wake.

Infinity pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off the headache. "And just as I was beginning to think I understand her, but nope, she's still confusing." He sighed. "Not quite sure if that's due to us being male and she female. It is said no male can truly understand the female mind. Then again, it could just be her. She already defies the laws of reality whenever she feels like it.: Infinity shrugged nonchalantly, put his hands in his pockets, and looked over at Gray, who was still staring after her in confusion. "Well, can't let her out of my sight for too long, even if she's heading straight for Vega. Now wipe that look off your face. It's easier to pretend you understand and don't question it." He turned and started following after Veronica.

* * *

It took an hour to cover the last mile to the guild, and Gray was starting to get a sinking feeling that chaos was normal around Veronica. Mostly because she seemed to have the attention span of a caffeinated goldfish. Infinity was just shanking his head as he followed behind her, completely nonplused by the chaotic trail she left. Veronica's face lit up with a grin as they approached the guild's doors. Without hesitating, she kicked them open and walked inside.

"Chaos has arrived!" She yelled gleefully, taking in the shocked expressions around her and cackling like a madwoman, until a familiar face appeared on the second floor.

"Veronica! You made it!" Vega yelled, hopping over the railing to hand beside her.

"Sure as hell I did!" Veronica said, pulling the Dragon Slayer into a hug. "I would never turn down a request from you, or one of the others for that matter." She smiled as Gray and Infinity walked in behind her. "Vega, I'd like you to me one of my good friends Jack Smith. I dragged him along for the ride by bribing him with alcohol, ancient magic spells, and hot chicks he could flirt with."

"Nice to meet you." Vega said, offering Infinity a hand.

Infinity paused to inspect Vega, pulling down his aviators to make direct eye contact with her. He kept a black stare as his stormy grey eyes bored straight into hers. A few seconds later he smirked, eyes relaxing, and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you Vega. I'm Jack Smith, most know me by Infinity, but you can call me whatever you want." He said with a wink. He then let go of her hand and took a step back. "Veronica has said some good things about you, glad to see she was right. If you don't know I'm-" He then looked at Gray really quick, "not going to finish that statement around normal."

"A wise choice." Veronica said, nodding sagely in agreement, her wide grin never leaving her face. "But Infinity, surely you remember what I said? About her future?" She glared at him slightly as his smirk turned sheepish.

"Yeah yeah Nica, I know. But you know me, how could I resist? Golden opportunity. Probably won't happen again." Yes probably. While the thought of being attacked by Vega's powerful boyfriend was unpleasant, it was having a big red button. You can't not push the big red button. If you don't want it to be pushed, then _**don't make it big and red!**_

And this thought track was what made Infinity realize that Veronica was starting to rub off on him...

"Anyway," She continued, turning back to Vega. "Back to the reason we're here. Where is it?"

Vega's face turned serious. "Master!" She yelled, turning to look at Makarov. "I need to take these two upstairs to my office, that alright?" Makarov nodded and Vega turned back to her guests. "Follow me, I've got it under lockdown in my safe."

"Alrighty then." Veronica said, following her up the stairs. "Infinity, make yourself at home. Mira!" The white haired bar maid looked up at her. "I'm covering his tab, anything he orders is on me!"

"Well, unless you two need me, I'll be down here. Other you says I can drink away, so drink away I shall. Just shout if you want me." He then flashed a thumbs up and proceeded to head over to the bar counter. "Mira is it? Not often I see white hair. It suits you well..."

"Well, he's gonna be occupied for awhile." Veronica said, a smirk on her face as Cana challenged him to a drinking contest. She turned back to Vega, her eyes uncharacteristically serious. "Now show me it."

Vega nodded and led the way into her office. She tapped the wall behind her desk and the illusion over it disappeared, revealing a heavy duty, bank vault quality, safe. Veronica looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "This thing was making my instincts scream 'danger' so badly, I upped security around it." Vega explained before she pulled on a pair of gloves and inputted the combination.

The hair on Veronica's neck stood on end as the door swung open, and her eyes blew wide at the item sitting innocently within.

"Give me a sec Vega." She said, getting up. "Infinity!" She yelled. The government agent looked up from where he was about to throw back a glass of 307 Ale. "You're gonna need to see this after all." She glanced back warily at the artifact that Vega was gingerly placing on her desk.

Infinity sighed as he heard his name called. _'And I was just starting to drink. Why did I even think it would last long?'_ He then shot an apologetic look at Mira and Cana. "Oh well, duty calls." He then downed his last shot and headed upstairs.

"I swear, if I was called up for-" He said, turning into the room, his eyes locking on the artifact. "Well shit..."

"Just so we're clear." Veronica said, pointing at the artifact once Infinity shut the door behind him. "That IS the fucking Necronomicon, right?"

The book was just innocently sitting there, but the vibes it was giving off was enough to make everyone in the room's hair stand on end. It was large, several inches thick, with yellowed pages and was bound in what looked suspiciously like tanned human skin. It had a heavy duty modern padlock on the side that was explained when Vega set a key down next to it, and had the symbol of Cthulhu burned onto it underneath what looked like a distorted version of it's face. A few runes were etched around it, spelling out something that had both out-of-demensioners going pale.

But before Infinity could react, Veronica decided enough was enough.

"FUCK THIS SHIT!" Veronica yelled, before reaching out, ripping open a hole in reality that opened up over a volcano, grabbing the book, and dropping it and the key to it's lock in. Infinity made a squeaking sound as she did so, as his face full of shock. The book hit the molten lava, and Veronica watched for a few minutes to make sure it was actually gone, before she sealed up the hole again. I'll be vaporizing that volcano later." She said darkly. "Can never be too sure with Eldritch Abominations."

"You...you destroyed it." He said as he slowly moved and sat down on the floor. "All that knowledge gone..." He then laid down and looked at the ceiling. "It stings V."

"Don't give me that bullshit Infinity." She said seriously. "That think is fucking dangerous on a normal day, and it's even MORE dangerous in this realm. The ambient magic in the air could have set loose a few things when it was opened, even without a mage pumping their power into it." She glared at him. "It's better off destroyed and you and I both know it. Cthulhu is NOT getting a foothold in my sector, I REFUSE to let him."

Infinity laid in silence, starring at the ceiling as silence filled the room, not making any notion that he understood or heard her. A few seconds passed and he closed his eyes, sighing in defeat. "Yeah I know how dangerous it is. How could I forget? Just because I wear these headphones doesn't mean I wish for him to appear." He opened his eyes and got up, brushing himself off. "Still, I'd love to have ripped a few pages out. Now I might never know the secret to Eldritch Vodka." He then sighed dramatically. "Oh well."

Veronica raised an eyebrow, and with a straight face held up several sheets of yellowed paper. Each page had various runes written list style, and had pictures of the finished product. "I did leave the alcohol recipes untouched." A wide grin split her face as she started cackling at the shock on his face. "Eldritch Scotch was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and the guys in 40K will worship us if we bring a few bottles when we visit."

In the blink of an eye, the pages were out of her hand and into his, his eyes glued to it as he frantically started to read. With each second that passed his smile grew, and when he finished he looked at Veronica. "I could kiss you right now! Do you know how many people have access to a copy of this?! A couple dozen across the whole multiverse! This stuff gets ancient beings buzzed! We... we need to protect this." He then laid the pages carefully on the table, then opened his hoodie and started going through his many pockets. After the 7th one, be pulled out page protectors and placed the sacred pages inside them. Once he did that, he pulled out a key, turned it in the air, and a rift opened revealing the inside of some kind of safe. The pages were placed inside of it, and the rift closed with one more turn of the key. "Pocket dimension lock box." Infinity explained, seeing the confusion on Veronica's face. "Only way to get in is with the custom key linked to it."

Veronica blinked. "Handy." She said appreciatively. "Well Vega," She said, getting up and stretching. "This has been an informative visit, but I'm afraid we have to pay a long overdue family visit to a few Chaos Gods."

Vega laughed slightly, pulling the older woman into a hug. "Tell your family and the Primmarks I said hi, and tell Leman I'm looking forward to our rematch. Oh, and bitchslap Slaanesh for me will you? He made a few lewd comments about me and the others at the last convention."

Veronica's grin turned feral as her purple eyes glowed menacingly. "Will do." She said, showing off a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"See you Vega, hopefully the next time we visit we can talk more. You seem like a good person." He then whipped out a business card with his contact information on it. "If you get in trouble with the government, just call. I will be able to bail you out. Latters!" He then gave a curt nod and walked out of the room. He didn't want to be in the same room as a vindictive feeling Veronica, even if it was not aimed at him. He could feel her power swirling in her, and couldn't help but smirk at the fate of the poor bastard on the receiving end of her rage. Hey, no one claimed he was _entirely_ a good guy.

Dark cackles spilled out from the room behind him "Infinity! Grab your gear and as much alcohol as you can carry from the bar!" Veronica yelled after him, poking her head out the door, her feral toothy grin still in place. "~We're going to pay that visit to my Mother/Father a little early, and remind her/him why it's a bad idea to make those kinds of comments around my alternates!~" She sing-songed cheerfully while giggling psychotically. Her voice contained so much sugary sweet venom that it sent terrified shutters down the spines of every make in the vicinity except for Infinity himself.

Veronica then flung a gold bar out of the door, and it landed on the bar counter with a heavy clunk. "That's for all the alcohol in the building Mira!" She yelled back as everyone started to hear the clanking sounds of guns being loaded and the metal on metal of swords and blades being sharpened. Suddenly, a loud thump and several clangs rang out. "So **that's** where I stashed the warhammer and the battle axe!"

Infinity gave Veronica a mock salute, smiling deviously as he did so. "Yes ma'am!" He then started to rush towards the bar, but a few steps later he turned around and threw her a key card. "While I'm busy grabbing alcohol, make a pit stop by my weapons vault. I know you know where it is, nosy girl. Open it up for me." He then went to pillage the alcohol. All of it. If it wasn't nailed down and alcoholic, it went into the stash.

"You got it!" Veronica yelled dack as she stepped out into the hall, armed to the teeth. She had on at LEAST a hundred pounds of heavy duty, upper body armor over top of her normal clothes, and hand several dozen knives visibly strapped to different parts of her body. Two bandoleers of ammunition were crossed over her chest, while a third was wrapped around her waist. A huge double bladed sword was strapped to her back, along with a huge double bladed battle axe. What looked suspiciously like the barrel of a mini-gun peeked out of the folds of her trench coat on her right hip, and her left sleeve glowed with what looked like the glow of a plasma cannon. "Your gear is all ready for you when you're done!"

After Infinity looked her up and down a few times, he nodded with approval. "A bit over the top, but it looks good on. It suits you. You almost look like a war goddess. Almost." He said while smirking. Jokes aside, she did look fearsome, and he could see how comfortable she looked. He didn't lie, it DID suit her well.

"Thanks for taking care of that for me, I'll be back soon as I'm fully ready. Key card?" He asked, with his hand outstretched. Veronica reluctantly forked it over (there were many, _many_ things that went boom in there.) He then headed around the corner out of sight, and a gust of air was felt.

A few minutes later he returned with his gear. He wore light plate dark gray armor, which seemed to interlock perfectly and didn't make any noise when he moved. Over that he wore a crimson trench coat with a hood. On the left side of his belt were throwing knives that pulsed with a faint blue, while on the right side were many grenades. On each thigh was a pistol, one blue and one yellow. On his back was a weapon that looked like a cross between a Monado and a sniper rifle. On his left hand was a gauntlet with a screen on it, and on the inside of his trench coat were many, many pockets.

"You guys going into a war zone?" Vega asked, eyeing them both up and down skeptically.

"It's my family reunion." Veronica said, shooting her a deadpan look. "Yes, yes we are. Ready to go?" She asked, turning to Infinity as her grin stretched wide across her face.

"Ready to be the only guy wearing light armor for miles? Ready to meet your family? Ready to deal with the headaches I'll have to endure?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. He then shrugged. "I don't think I'll ever truly be ready, but it's happening so I'll deal. I'm ready to leave when you are."

"Awesome." Veronica held out her arm and ripped open a portal right in the middle of the Guild Hall. Everyone in the building could hear the sounds of furious battle from within it's depths. "Oh, the started the games early!" Veronica said cheerfully. She turned around and to look at everyone else. "~It was nice meeting you all!~" She sang, before drawing her sword and diving headfirst into the portal screaming, "YOOOOLOOOO!"

The sounds of explosions, curses, and Veronica's psychotic laughter rang out after she disappeared.

Infinity's mouth pulled into an amused smile, giving a small chuckle as he did so. He shook his head and looked at everyone else. "Take care folks. I HIGHLY recommend you don't follow us through unless you are at least Vega's level or higher, and even then, don't. Good luck with everything, it's a nice place you got here." He then looked at the portal, steeled his expression, then walked through, and the portal shut on it's own moments after. What he saw could only be described as...

"Veronica..."

Her brand of chaos came with a label all it's own.

* * *

The rest of the Fairy Tail Guild stared at the place the portal had been in silence for several minutes.

"Well, they seemed nice." Lucy commented.


	47. New Version!

Okay people! I have decided! The edited version of the story will be posted up by the end of the month! As soon as it has caught up to where we are currently, I will deleting this one, so keep an eye out for it and let me know what you guys think!


	48. New Version is Up!

Hey guys! The first chapter of the new version is up!

Go and check it out soon!


	49. AN: Keep updating?

Would anyone actually like me to keep updating this? I've written a lot of new chapters since I last posted, and the re-write is taking longer than I initially assumed it would.


	50. Dragon Slayers and Eggs

**Long story short? I got sick, and I was bored.**

 **Here are the results of that!**

 **As always, I do not own Fairy Tail. Never have, never will. Nor do I own the Celestial Demons or any other demons you may recognize from various anime. The Celestial Demons originally came from the brilliant mind of _fairytailcrossover_ and I put them here with her permission.**

 **Alright! ON TO THE MAYHEM!**

* * *

About a week after Veronica and Infinity left, Natsu and Happy went on a fishing trip, dragging Lucy and Erik along with them. Bella followed after Erik as always, intent on keeping them out of trouble as Dante and I volunteered to help Mira reorganize the Guild Archives.

About two hours into our work, Lucy, Erik, and Bella wandered in. Mira was up on one of the ladders, putting away the books as I filed everything in the codex on the ground. "Hey Mira!" Lucy called out. "What are you doin' up there?" Lucy called out.

Mira looked over at her with a smile. "Just a bit of reorganizing that's all, and Vega volunteered to help me."

"Oh I can help with that!" The blond said happily.

"Are you sure you want to?" Mira asked.

"Yeah! I'm good with boring stuff!" Lucy said as she walked down the steps to join us.

"Then you can help put the books away." I said, looking up at her from the codex. "Erik and Bella can help Dante and I sort through all of them."

"You got it." Lucy said, scooping up a stack and heading for the nearest ladder as Erik sat down next to me, and Bella wandered off the help Dante find the right books.

* * *

About an hour later Lucy was telling Mira all about the disastrous end of their fishing trip. "And then he just stormed off! What a jerk!" She said, from the top of the ladder. "Right?"

Mira just giggled. "Maybe, but that's what makes him so cute."

"You really think so?" Lucy asked, looking down at her.

"Of course." Mira called back. "You're attracted to Natsu's boyish charms too, aren't you?" The barmaid called slyly. Erik stiffened almost unnoticeably, making me raise an eyebrow at him.

"WHAT?!" Lucy yelled in shock, before loosing her balance on the ladder. Erik shot to his feet and dove forwards just as she fell. She landed in his arms with her eyes screwed shut, waiting for impact, before cautiously opening her eyes and letting out a sigh of relief as she felt Erik's arms around her. "Thanks Erik." She said sheepishly, laughing slightly as he put her on her feet.

"Any time Lucy." He said, swiftly turning back to me so the blond wouldn't see the tips of his ears burning red.

"Are you okay?" Mira asked her, oblivious to us.

"Yeah, sorry about that." She said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "I guess ladders aren't my strong point."

I chuckled under my breath as he sat down next to me again, his eyes staying locked on the book he brought up to hide the faint blush on his face. _'_ _You like her, don't you?'_ I thought out loud, and his cheeks turned a slight darker red that had me cackling in my head.

Lucy meanwhile was digging around in the books that fell, when she came across something interesting. "I found an old painting." She said, carefully picking the canvis out of the books as we walked over to look.

"I remember that." Mira said wishfully.

It was an old picture of the guild that Reedus had painted a long time ago. In the back you could see the other members, Macao and Wakaba, being buddy buddy as usual, Mira in her old look and Elfman before he toughened up after... Erza in her armor and Jellal in his long coat standing side by side with their arms crossed. Laxus leaning up against a pillar in the background as I stood beside him, a small furry golden yellow dragon with black spots was nestled into his arms, as a second one with purple and dark grey scales was in mine. Erik was smirking while a black, acid green, and maroon serpent-like dragon was wrapped around his neck with Cubellios. He was watching Cana, Gray, and Lisanna cheer on Natsu, who was laughing wildly and riding on the back of a blue and white dragon. "Is this everyone when they were kids?" Lucy asked.

"It sure is." Mira confirmed.

"This must be Gray, and who's that next to him? Cana?" She asked. "Woah! Macao and Wakaba?! They look so young!" She exclaimed, before moving on. "You were so cute when you were little Erik!" She said, looking at the smirking boy with maroon hair. "Oh, I'd recognize that spikey head anywhere. Natsu hasn't changed a bit! And what's with the little dragons everywhere?" She asked, confused.

"That's the Exceeds!" Mira said.

"HUH?!" Lucy gasped, before calming down. "I don't know if you guys even know this, but how did Natsu and Happy first meet anyway?" She asked.

"Let me think." Mira said softly. "When that picture was painted I hadn't been a member of Fairy Tail for very long myself." She started, looking wishful. "The time sure has flown by..."

"I'll say..." I said, loosing myself in a flashback.

* * *

 **"Back then, Natsu and Gray were little balls of hate." Mira said easily. "They'd fight every time they ran into each other."**

 **"Doesn't sound like all that much has changed..." Lucy said.**

 **"Oh trust me." Erik said. "They were little hellions back then."**

 **"Oh like you were any better?" I asked teasingly.**

 _All three boys were fist fighting as I watched from a tree branch above their heads, silently laughing along with Jellal as Erza broke them apart. I dressed differently then, and I was wearing a black tank top covered by a galaxy patterned crop top, blue shorts, and black sneakers. "Alright that's enough outta you!" Erza said, punching all three of them in the jaw._

 **"Of course, there was always someone to break them up." Mira said.**

 **"Let me guess, Erza?" Lucy asked.**

 **"Most of the time yes, but Jellal and I stepped in to break them up a couple times." I said easily.**

 _"Mind your own business for once!" Gray yelled as they recovered._

 _"You wanna piece of me too ya jerk?!" Natsu growled._

 _"Come on! Give me a real challenge!" Erik snarled, as all three of them lunged forwards._

 _"If you insist." Erza said mockingly, before downing all three of them in one punch. "Now behave." She ordered imperiously. "No more senseless fighting from you three."_

 _"You just got lucky." Gray groaned._

 _"I'll win next time." Natsu groaned as well._

 _"Anyone get the number of the magic mobile that hit me?" Erik moaned as he sat up, rubbing the bump on his head._

 **"Natsu was always getting into fights like that." Mira said. "Of course, he acted like that's what he wanted, but sometimes I'd catch him with a sad look on his face."**

 **"I caught him like that a few times too." I admitted sadly. "Natsu doesn't show it often, but he really misses Igneel, and I can relate..."**

 _Natsu was sitting on the pier in the pouring rain, looking down at the grey water with a small sad frown on his face._

 _With a small sigh, I sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He looked up at me with sad eyes, and I smiled at him sadly before we both looked out over the ocean. "Come on." I whispered after awhile. "Let's go home." He looked up at me as pulled him to his feet, and we both walked off._

 **"Then one day...**

 _"Come on Natsu. We need to get back to the guild! It's starting to get dark!" Erik complained as the pinkette beat down a tree._

 _"Stupid Erza, and Gray!" Natsu said, punching with each word. "You stink!" He reared back, and punched the tree as hard as he could, scaring the birds away from the impact. "That didn't hurt at all!" He claimed as his fist turned red._

 _"Riiight." Erik drawled, not believing him for a second._

 _Suddenly something fell, nailing Natsu right on the head. The pinkette sat back up, rubbing the aching bump on his head as Erik moved forwards, his eyes wide with shock. "Holy..." Sitting in front of them innocently, were four large white eggs with a variety of markings._

* * *

 _"Hey guys check out these awesome eggs we just found!" Natsu yelled, parading around with the blue marked egg as Erik carried the other three._

 _"Where in blazes did you pick up those things?" Makarov asked._

 _"We found them in the East Forest." Erik said, setting them down on the counter. I moved closer, eyeing the one with the purple markings._

 _"The East Forest?" Gramps echoed, sounding surprised._

 _"Look at that, guess you're good for something after all." Gray mocked, as he leaned up against the counter. "Gonna fry 'em up for us?"_

 _"Gray your clothes!" Cana yelled. Gray freaked out as usual when he noticed he was only in his boxers._

 _"I ain't gonna fry them!" Natsu said, clutching his egg protectively. "Can't you see they're dragon eggs? I'm gonna hatch 'em!"_

 _"I don't think they're dragon eggs Natsu." I said, picking up the one with royal purple markings and examining it. "Dragon eggs look like jewels, and are covered in hard scales. These remind me more of bird eggs, but I've never seen a bird that lays eggs this big."_

 _We set the eggs on cushions on the floor as everyone gathered around. "So anyway gramps, why don't you hatch the mystery eggs with a spell?" Natsu asked._

 _Gramps just sighed. "Don't be a fool. Using magic for such a purpose would dishonor the miracle of life." He explained as I nodded in agreement. "You see life is born from love and love alone. No spell can transcend that power."_

 _"Uh..." Natsu said apologetically, blanking from the metaphors. "Sorry Gramps, I don't think I'm following ya."_

 _Gramps sighed again. "Well, you'll understand when you grow up." He said._

 _"He saying that if you want it to hatch, you have to work hard to make it happen on your own." Erza explained, walking up to us with Jellal in tow. "Since you usually just burn and break things all day, it might be nice to try something more productive for once."_

 _"Erza!" Natsu said nervously._

 _"I didn't hear you come in." Gray said._

 _"I've been looking for you Erza!" A darkly dressed Mira said, giving the redhead a challenging glare. Erza just looked at her with contemp. "Why don't we pick up where we left off?! Come and get some!"_

 _"You're gonna fight again?" Lisanna asked._

 _"Mira." Erza said, her hands on her hips as she smirked. "You know, now that you mention it we never did finish our match, did we?"_

 **Lucy gasped in shock. "Are you for real? That girl is you?!" She asked Mira.**

 **"Yup." Mira chirped. "Surprised?"**

 **"Yeah," Lucy said, looking back down at the painting. "This doesn't look like you at all! And wait, you said you were picking a fight with ERZA?!"**

 **"Well yeah." I said, laughing slightly. "Back then Mira was on par with Erza in terms of strength. Maybe even stronger."**

 **"But I still couldn't beat you Vega." Mira relented.**

 _"Alright you two, that's enough." I said, hoping down from the bar and getting between the two of them. "_ _Unless you want me to join in?"_ _They glared at me venomously for a moment, before huffing in re_ _signation_ _._

 _"Oh sure, she's all mad when we get in a fight, but she can wreck the whole guild whenever she wants?" Gray asked sarcastically._

 _"Just wait, one of these days I'm gonna give 'em a beat down they'll never forget!" Natsu claimed, cracking his knuckles._

 _"I'll believe that when I see it." Erik said teasingly._

 _"Ah give me a break." Lisanna said, walking up. "Keep up that tough guy act and you'll never get the girls to like you!"_

 _"Shut up Lisanna." Natsu snapped back. "What da you know?"_

 _"Don't be mean." She chassed. "I was just about to ask if you needed a hand raising that egg?"_

 _Natsu gasped in happiness. "You wanna help?! Really?!" He asked._

 _"Uh Hm." Lisanna said, nodding with a cheerful smile. "I've never tried raising a dragon! I bet it'll be real fun!"_

 _"Fun is not the right word." I said seriously. "Dragon raising is a round the clock job that stretches years." I said, going into the lecture mode that Celestiana had taught me for imperialistic hatchlings. "Dragon hatchlings don't actually leave the nest until they're twenty. Until then, they are totally dependent on their parents. A lot like raising kids..." I trailed off curiously._

 _"So, how are we supposed to make it hatch?" Natsu asked._

 _"I think you just warm it up." Lisanna suggested._

 _Natsu smiled brightly as I stepped up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Not that way Natsu." I said, cutting him off before he could breath fire on it. "I'm pretty sure these **aren't** dragon eggs, so breathing fire on it like that will probably hurt it, not help it."_

 _"Awww." Natsu said, hanging his head in disappointment._

 _"Sit back and let my magic take care of this!" Lisanna said brightly, before calling up her magic. " **Take Over!** **Animal Soul!** " She transformed into a large bird with a green body, a yellow head, blue plumage, and pink wings._

 _"Woah! You're a bird!" Natsu said._

 _"I get it!" Gray said, coming to the same conclusion as Lisanna wrapped her wings around the blue egg._

 _I shook my head, and moved over to sit beside Elfman as he let out a sigh. "What's up Elf?" I asked._

 _"My little sister's perfected the full body take over, but I'm still having trouble with it." He said, looking down at the table sadly. "I'm a sucky wizard."_

 _"Oh, I forgot you guys use the same magic." Cana said._

 _"If I was as strong as her, I could turn into a bird and look for my parakeet." He continued._

 _"Parakeet?" Cana asked._

 _"We used to be the best of friends." He explained. "Until he flew away."_

 _"That's so sad." Cana said._

 _"I wish I had an egg to hatch like they do." Elfman said sadly._

 _"Cheer up Elf." I said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Mastering magic is different for everyone. It's like growing up, everyone takes their own time. Don't feel bad that your sister mastered it before you. That's how her magic is. Yours will take a little longer, because that's just how your magic is. I should know. It took me a LONG time to get where I am now."_

 _"Really?" He asked, glancing up at me._

 _I nodded._

 **"Aww, so that's really Elfman? He was such a cute little guy!" Lucy said.**

 **"Oh, yeah." Mira said. "He hasn't changed much at all."**

 _"A dragon's egg?" Laxus asked incredulously as he walked into the guild after a job a few hours later. "Don't tell me you believe in all that garbage?"_

 _"I don't know." Macao said. "Natsu said he was raised by a dragon, and so do Vega and Erik, so why not?"_

 _"Yeah, like I buy that." Laxus said, walking towards us._

 _"So, what to do with these three?" I muttered, scratching my head in thought as Erik and I looked at the remaining three eggs._

 _"Why don't we each take one to start, and then figure out what to do with the third one?" Erik suggested. I nodded in agreement, before kneeling down and looking closer at them._

 _"I'll take this one." I said, picking up the egg with royal purple markings and setting it beside me._

 _"This one feels like the right fit for me." Erik said, picking up the one with the maroon markings._

 _"But what about the third?" I asked, looking down at the third egg. This one was different from the others, as instead of flame like markings, it had leopard spots all over it's shell._

 _"I'll keep an eye on it." We both looked up as Laxus stopped next to us. "Four eggs, one for each of the four dragon slayers. It kinda makes sense."_

 _"I guess so." I said, looking down at the egg in my arms with a smile as Laxus picked up the last one._

 _"Besides," He said, looking at me. "Wouldn't want you to get a leg up on me before our next fight." He said, picking it up._

 **"We all brought the eggs home that night, and agreed to show up at the guild the next morning with them." I said, leaning back against the bookshelves. "Little did we know that we would be walking into a mad house."**

 _"What's going on here?" I asked as Erik and I stepped inside, the both of us holding our eggs. Most of the other kids were gathered by the bar around Natsu and his egg._

 _"Elfman apparently had Natsu's egg." Laxus said from his spot leaning up against the beams like usual, his egg cradled in one arm._

 _I heard a cracking sound, and the egg in my arms twitched. "Here we go." I said, setting it down on the floor. Laxus and Erik did the same, as I heard Natsu and his friends gasp. All four eggs started breaking apart before our eyes, and they shattered as four glowing balls of light shot into the air. The one from Natsu's was blue, the one from Erik's was maroon, the one from Laxus' was gold, and the one from mine was purple. When the lights faded, to our shock, they revealed four tiny kittens with wings._

 _"Oh my gosh." I said softly as mine floated down to land in my arms. The little guy was covered in shaggy mostly purple fur, while he belly was covered in dark gray fur. His wings were a cute snowy white, but for some reason they had just a touch of black at the tips of the longest feathers. When he opened his eyes, rich gold locked with my electric purple. "Mine's a boy." I said looking him over._

 _"Woah! They're freaking cats?!" Macao and Wakaba gasped._

 _"Woah." Erik said as his landed on his shoulder and wrapped it's tail around his neck for balance. His was slightly smaller than mine, with molted fur that was maroon, a pretty acid green, and black. Her wings were white as well, but her feathers were tipped with black too. Her eyes were a warm chocolate brown that made Erik smile. "It's a girl! And she's adorable!"_

 _"Huh, they are pretty cute." Laxus grudgingly admitted as his curled into his arms. His was_ very _different from ours, and was a golden yellow with black leopard spots, black ears what were tipped with white, and a long white tipped tail. Her eyes were a bright emerald green that shined with intelligence. Unlike the others, her wings were solid black, like a raven's wings. "It's a girl."_

 _"I think I'll name him Dauntless." I said running a hand through his fur as he closed his eyes and started to purr slightly. "Dante for short."_

 _"Your name is now Belladonna. Bella as a nickname." Erik told his kitten, a smile on his face as she looked at him with wide eyes before snuggling up against his cheek in acceptance._

 _"Chui." Laxus said shortly. His looked up at him and seemed to shrug before falling asleep with a huff._

 _"You're really gonna name her Leopard, Laxus?" I asked jokingly. He nodded, not saying anything._

 _Natsu started jumping around with his own cat, proclaiming it Happy the Dragon._

 _"It's not a dragon." Mira said shortly._

 _"Oh well, I'll paint it as one anyway." Reedus said, working his magic._

* * *

"I see." Lucy said. "What a totally cute story! I really hate to see those two fighting."

"The closer two people are the more they fight." Mira said, turning away to put away another stack of books with a small smile on her face. "It's fine."

"Hey Mira, think you could come help me for a sec?" Master Makarov asked from the next room.

"Of course!" Mira said, taking off.

"Now lets see." Lucy said, looking back at the painting. "There's Erza, and Gray, and Mira Jane. That's Laxus, and this girl must be Lisanna. That's weird... If she's Mira and Elfman's sister, how come I haven't met her yet?" She asked us. Erik and I looked at each other for a second, before sighing.

I sat down on the table. "You haven't met Lisanna yet because she isn't here anymore."

"Then where is she?" Lucy asked.

Erik's face pulled into a frown. "Lucy, she died on a job about two years ago..."


	51. Lectures, Birthdays, and Attacks

**I don't own Fairy Tail. The Celesial Demons are owned by _fairytailcrossover._ I do own Vega, Dante, and Bella though. (holds up a slice of strawberry cake.) I own this strawberry cake too.**

 **(A wild Erza has appeared! Erza uses Scary Face. It's super effective!)**

 **(Freerunner4427 uses Fake Tears. It's not very effective...)**

 **(Erza has run away. You have lost: Slice of Strawberry Cake...)**

 **Well, I OWNED that strawberry cake...**

* * *

After Natsu and Happy made up, it had been a pretty quiet couple of weeks. Jobs were flowing, and I had decided to take a few of them that were closer to home for a change. Most of them only took a couple hours to finish, like helping someone plant their summer garden. A few others took longer but were also just as enjoyable.

One such job was for the Magnolia University of Magic. For one semester every year, they requested a Mage that used a Lost Magic to do a series of lectures about their particular branch in the Ancient Magic Studies Class at least once a week, something I was happy to volunteer for whenever I could. The students were ecstatic whenever I snagged the job, and the attendance of the class only grew larger with every year...

* * *

 _Meanwhile, back at the guild..._

"Alright guys!" Erik said, standing up in front of the eager crowd. "We've only got a few hours to pull this off. Mira!" He said pointing towards the bar maid. "Is the cake ready?"

"I've had it ready since her actual birthday. Triple chocolate fudge with white chocolate buttercream frosting, exactly like she wanted it." Mira said cheerfully. "I'll go get the final pieces that I need to decorate it with. Reedus," The Paint Mage looked at her. "I could use some help with the color." He nodded and followed after as she swept out of the room, humming a cheerful tune under her breath.

"Cana!" He said, pointing towards the card mage. "Are the decorations done?"

"Done and ready to be put up." She said, putting down her barrel. "I'll need a few of the taller members, or someone who can fly to help with the higher places."

"Understood." Eirk said as he glanced down at his partner. "Bella, would you mind helping her out?"

"Not at all." The little Exceed said before she flew over to Cana, followed by Elfman, Master Makarov, and Jellal.

"Does everyone have their presents?" He asked. Everyone else nodded. "Alright then, Operation: Birthday Bash is a go!"

 _Magnolia University of Magic. A place where aspiring Wizards that don't want to join guilds can learn to perfect their chosen path, it is one of the finest Magical Collages on the continent._

"But remember." I said, standing at the podium in front of the Vision Lacrima as it was paused at the middle of a video of one of my more famous fights. "No Lost Magic is unbeatable or invincible if you know how to get into you're opponent's head. My greatest example would probably be my first confrontation with the man known as Erigor the Reaper, the former Guild Master of the now disbanded Dark Magic Guild Eisenwald, and probably one of my worst failures." A dark haired teenager in the third row raised his hand. "Yes Mister...?"

"Thomas Heartstone Ma'am." The boy said. "How did he defeat you? Aren't you a wizard Saint?"

I laughed slightly. "I am _now_ Thomas _,_ " I said, stressing the 'now'. "I wasn't the first time I faced him." I started playing the video. Erigor and I were facing each other down in a crowded square. Erigor looked almost the same as when Natsu took him down during the Lullaby fiasco, just a little younger. I on the other hand looked _very_ different. My hair wasn't nearly as long as it presently was, and I was wearing a form fitting purple tank-top and black shorts, along with my black fingerless gloves. I was about sixteen in the video.

My younger self charged forwards, her fists glowing silver, and I paused the video. "Now," I said turning to my audience. "Who can tell me what I did just did wrong?" I asked. I scanned over the crowd, until a red haired girl put up her hand. "Yes Miss...?"

"Cindy Stellarosa." The girl said. "You attacked first."

"Exactly Cindy." I said with a smile, before starting up the video again. Erigor dodged my charge easily, and retaliated by slashing his scythe down, a bow that my younger self barely dodged in time. "Because I attacked first, I inadvertently handed him control of the fight. Erigor's magic was highly balanced in it's nature compared to mine, as his Wind Armor made him nearly impervious to most physical attacks, and his scythe enhanced the offensive abilities that his magic naturally lacked." My younger self recovered quickly, and lit her other fist up with silver as she tried to land a Meteor Fist on him. He just blocked younger Me's strike with the wind armor, sending her reeling back clutching one bloody hand. "A fact that I did not discover until almost too late." Younger me quickly threw up a silver shield as Erigor tried to slice her in half with his scythe.

A third student raised his hand and I paused the video. "Yes mister...?"

"Chance Windrider." The platinum blond teen said. "You said that your magic was primarily offensive. What was that then?" He asked, referring to the shield.

"That was one of my few defensive spells. The **Star Dragon Shield**." I explained, rewinding the video to the moment my younger self cast the spell. "It's highly effective against brute force attacks, and it was one of the spells that constantly saved my life, and the life of my partner when I was younger and more inexperienced." Dante shifted on my shoulder, crossing his arms as the video played again.

A younger Dante, who was slightly smaller, flew up with his sword in paw and caught Erigor's scythe blade against his own. Erigor smirked, and put more pressure on the scythe, causing Younger Dante to buckle under his superior strength. I paused the video again. "Now, what did Dante do right and do wrong with that attack?" Thomas raised his hand again. "Yes Mister Heartstone?"

"What he did right was drawing attention away from you." He said, before continuing. "What he did wrong was drawing attention to himself."

"Exactly." Dante said, speaking up for the first time in the lecture. Everyone looked at him with wide eyes, as they hadn't expected him to talk. "I was right to attack because it caused a temporary distraction, allowing my partner to recover." Dante's face grew darker. "I was _wrong_ because it caused Erigor to mark me as the weaker target."

Younger Dante looked up at Erigor with wide eyes before he broke away from the stalemate and dropped to his belly, right as younger me ducked under Erigor's guard and sucker punched him in the jaw with a fist coated in golden flames. Hands went up as I paused the video again. "Yes Miss?"

"Amelia Bejorn." The green haired girl said. "What exactly was that?" She asked.

"That was the other half of my magic." I explained, a slight smirk on my face. "As many of you are probably aware, I am what is known as the highly rare Dual Slayer, a hybridized version of the classic Dragon Slayer. In my standard Dragon Force form I am known as a Celestial Star Dragon Slayer." I walked out from behind my podium and lit up both of my hands with magic, one gold, one silver. "The silver energy is Star Dragon Slayer Magic, the gold however, is Celestial Dragon Slayer Magic. Make no mistake, it has taken me many years to get the level of control you see now. I began my training when I was a tender five years old, and only completed the rough stages of Star Dragon Slayer training when I was eight. I didn't even begin my Celestial Dragon Slayer training until later that same year, and only then after undergoing extensive exercises and meditation that adapted my magic core to injecting other elements besides my original Starlight." The class was listening with full attention as I continued. "Star Dragon Slayer Magic is powerful, as it harnesses one of the most volatile energies in the known universe. While it _is_ highly versatile and adaptive, Celestial Dragon Slayer Magic is actually inheritably _weaker_. Those taught to use it tend to rely more on statistical blitz attacks then actual brawling. The element of surprise that Dante gave me in that critical moment allowed me to change the flow of the fight with that one blow."

I started up the video again as I walked back to my podium. Younger me surged forwards, pressing her advantage as Erigor was disoriented from the first blow. "Part of my training focused on reading and reacting to a situation in a spilt second." I explained as I fast-forwarded the video to when I pulled out one of my Black Keys and pulled off a fast summon. In a surge of black and gold lightning, Alepou made an appearance, and younger me started to tag team with him to take Erigor down. I paused the video again as hands shot up. "Yes Cindy?"

"That dosen't look like any Celestial Spirit I've ever seen." She stated, gaining agreeing nods from her peers.

"That's because he isn't one." I said, nodding to Alepou. "Alepou is what is known as a Raiju, a Celestial Demon." Several of the student gasped and started rambling before I held up my hand for silence. "Make no mistake," I continued after the chatter died down. "The Celestial Demons are NOT from the Book of Zeref. Zeref's demons have only recently been re-categorized as False Demons, bastardized imitations of the True Demons, and never suggest otherwise in the presence of one as it is one of the highest insults. They are not inherently evil, nor are they inherently good, but they have a very bad reputation due to their unfortunate luck of falling into the wrong hands, and many no longer trust humans because of that." I pulled a few of my keys out with my requip magic, a Black Key and a White Key. "Alepou is the second of the Black Demons, the strongest set. As such, he actually the second weakest, despite his powerful magic." I unpaused the video as blue lightning started crackling around Alepou and he manipulated the bolts to home in on Erigor. They connected, throwing Erigor back into the crowd.

Younger me growled as Erigor got up again and held the blade of his scythe to the throat of a little girl. The sound of the video had been edited out for teaching purposes, but you could clearly tell that his words only pissed off younger me to the point where my hair started spiking and my eyes started glowing as my lips twisted into a toothy snarl. Alepou started forwards snarling alongside me, until younger me held up a hand to stop him. I paused the video and turned back to the audience. "What you're seeing here is the instinctual reaction of a female dragon when a hatchling is threatened in their presence." I explained, dead serious. "During the entire battle, what was the one detail that stands out?" A boy with blue hair raised his hand. "Yes mister...?"

"Steven Magnet." He said. "You purposely drew his attention to yourself and your partner. The three of you were surrounded by people at the time, but you made sure he was focused on you and you alone."

"Exactly." I said darkly. "Erigor gained the moniker, _'The Reaper',_ because of his preference for assassination jobs. His preferences were actually one of the key reasons that Eisenwald was declared a Dark Guild. They refused to turn away assassination missions after they were outlawed. When I was assigned to bring him to justice, the file that I received on Erigor stated that he was not above using hostages to evade capture, and I attempted to keep his attention focused on me so as to hopefully avoid any casualties. As you can see..." I unpaused the video, and a swirling tornado sprung up around several people. When one moved to try and get out of it's way, their leg was caught in the whirlwind and was nearly sliced to the bone. "I was nearly unsuccessful." I took in a deep breath, closing my eyes to center myself, before I opened by eyes again and continued. Younger me closed their eyes in frustration, and relaxed their stance. Erigor smirked ferally and vanished, leaving his hostage behind as the whirlwind dissipated. Younger me rushed towards the hostages, and the video ended. I was just about to speak again when the bell rang.

"Alright guys, that concludes our lecture for today. Make sure that your papers on the counterpart of your magic are ready to turn in next time. Stay safe and I hope to see you all again next time." I said as they filed out the door. I smiled and started packing up my bag.

"Another wonderful lesson Cosmitella as always." A voice said, making me whirl around. The owner of the voice was an older man with graying brown hair, sea green eyes, and an impeccable black suit.

"Headmaster Stellios." I said, calming down. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Quite alright." He said, waving it off. "I'm impressed. This is by far the most requested class on campus once again." He smiled. "Are you sure you don't want to take that offer of a teaching position?"

I sighed and looked at him with a small smile. "Headmaster, you and I both know that Magic is my true calling. While I do enjoy teaching, it's just another job to me."

The headmaster sighed. "I knew you would say that. Well, at least consider it as an option." He said. "The position is yours if you ever change your mind."

"I'll remember that." I said, stepping out the door.

"Oh and Vega!" He called out. I turned around and caught the small Vision Lacrima that he tossed to me. "Consider it a late birthday present." He said with a smile. "I know you were out of town when it passed, and the students asked me to help them create that."

"Thanks Morgan." I said. "I'll see you next week!"

* * *

I walked along the streets of Magnolia, enjoying the sweet summer air as I headed towards the guild. For some reason it was quiet that day, slightly unusual for Magnolia but for some reason my instincts didn't react.

What they _did_ react to, however, was the fact that the Guild Hall, was **silent**.

Fairy Tail was quiet on a good day, but never **silent**.

With one hand lit, I cautiously walked up to the doors and pushed them open. The inside was dark, but I could sense someone inside.

"SURPRISE!"

I leapt back in shock as the entire guild yelled and the lights snapped on. The guild hall was decorated in silver and gold stars and moons, and a huge multi-tiered cake covered in gold frosting was sitting on the bar counter. It was decorated by two dragons, one that was orange, pink, and purple, and one that was black, purple, and blue, and had twenty candles on it. "What's all this?" I asked, looking around.

"It's your birthday party!" Erik said, stepping forward.

"My birthday was weeks ago." I protested.

"We know that!" Jellal said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "But did you think we forgot or something?" He asked. "We've been waiting for a day you were gone to set this up!" He sighed. "It's too bad the others had to leave on a job yesterday though, they would have loved this."

My eyes teared up as a watery smile lit my face. "Thanks guys." I said, walking forwards. "Well? What are we waiting for?! Lets party!" I yelled.

Everyone cheered as Mira pressed a glass of scotch into my hand, and the rest of the night was a blur.

I remember blowing out the candles to the cheers of everyone else, and opening several presents from everyone.

I think by far my favorite present was a black ribbon choker with a gold lightning bolt that I had a sneaking suspicion was from Laxus because of the card. ' _Wish I was there."_ I immediately put it on, and resolved to never take it off again.

One of the best however, was the Vision Lacrima I got from my students. It was a slide show of pictures from my class, along with a signed photo at the end that had a picture of the entire class under a banner that said _Happy Birthday Professor!_

"Hey Mira?" I said hours later as people were starting to leave. The barmaid looked up at me as she led her brother, who was pretty sloshed out the door. "Why don't you head home for the night, Erik and I can lock up."

"Thanks Vega." She said with a grateful smile and a yawn.

Erik and I were starting out to head home when something made my instincts leap up and scream at me as the scent of dragons and iron assaulted my nose...

...just seconds before I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head and down my back as everything went black.

* * *

When I woke up, it felt like my head was being pounded repeatedly by one of Gramp's Titan Fists.

"Anyone get a look at the Magic Mobile that hit me, and then backed up a few times?" I moaned, clutching my head as I sat up. I felt bandages under my fingers and looked around in confusion. I wasn't in the infirmary like I expected, but the Guild Archives. I winced as pain shot down my back, and I looked down to see bandages wrapped around my torso.

"Vega! You're awake!" Mira said happily, sweeping into the room. "Oh thank goodness," She sighed. "We were all worried sick when we found you, Erik, Dante, and Bella unconscious in front of the guild this morning."

"Last thing I remember, we were heading home after the party." I said, wincing at the pain as she handed me a bit of headache medicine. "My instincts went off, pain, and then everything went black." I looked up at her as I swallowed the pill. I looked over at the cot beside me. Erik was lying there with Bella next to him, and both of them had bandages wrapped around their heads, but Erik's torso and left arm were also wrapped up. Dante was curled into my side, and most of his torso was covered in small bandages in addition to the one on his head, like he had gotten roughed up in a bad fist fight. His sword was missing from it's sheath, and he had several minor cuts and bruises scattered across his body. "What the hell happened? Why are we in the Archives, and not the Infirmary?"

Mira's face went sober in seconds. "Vega," She started. "The guild was attacked last night. This was the only place we could put you that wasn't destroyed."

Me eyes went wide with shock. "Do we know who did it?" I growled faintly, getting angry.

Mira's eyes were stony and sad as she whispered a name that made my low growl, turn into a snarl.

 _"Phantom Lord."_


	52. The Phantom Lord

**As always, I don't own Fairy Tail, the Celestial Demons are not mine, and I bow down before the might of the establishment!**

 **Vega & the Rest of Fairy Tail: SAYS YOU!**

* * *

Mira threw one of my arms over her shoulder and helped me down into the basement. "How bad is the damage?" I asked, wincing as I settled down in one of the chairs. I groaned and cursed under my breath as the slash on my back throbbed angrily from the movement. Kage came to sit beside me, and Laki followed. Both looked at me with worried gazes. I couldn't blame them though, I hadn't been hurt this badly in years.

"Most of the building was impaled with columns of solid iron." She explained as she started tighten my bandages. "We came down here because it was the only part of the Guild Hall that was still structurally sound besides the Archives."

"Was anyone else hurt?" I asked, looking around at the others.

"Thankfully no." Mira assured me as she finished with my torso and started checking the bandage on my head. "Everyone left after the party last night, so the guild was empty. The most that was hurt besides you four was our pride and spirits."

"Thank the gods." I sighed as I winced. My nose twitched as it picked up familiar scents.

"Mira, Team Natsu is back." I said, closing my eyes to try and stave off the light sensitivity. "Someone should go and meet them, and by the looks of things," I shot a glance at Gramps, who was sitting on a crate in front of the temporary Job board, already drunk off his ass despite it not even being ten o'clock in the morning. Not kidding, I could smell the alcohol, anger, and despair all over him from ten feet away. "I'm calling the shots for now."

"Alright." She said with a nod. She got up and headed upstairs.

Moments later, she came back down leading the five other members of Team Natsu.

"We've never been on the best terms with those Phantom jerks but come on!" Jet, a member of Team Shadow Gear complained.

"Wanna teach 'em a lesson?" Droy, another of the members asked as he leaned back with his arms behind his head as his mouth set into a frown.

"Back off you guys." Levy scolded sullenly. "Don't you think we're in enough trouble already?" She asked.

"Yo! What's up kids?!" Gramps slurred.

"Sorry we weren't here earlier." Erza said.

"Why the heck are you all just sittin' around down here?!" Natsu demanded fiercely.

"How'd it go Lucy?" Master asked, completely ignoring them. "You finish the job like a good girl?"

"Yeah I guess so..." Lucy said uncertainly.

"Master, do you understand the gravity of this situation?" Erza asked seriously.

"The guild hall has been completely destroyed!" Natsu growled.

"There's no need to get yourselves all worked up, 's not the end of the world or anything." Master slurred again before taking another gulp of his drink.

"What?" Gray asked as they watched him in confusion.

"Just goes to show you how cowardly those dunderheads in the Phantom Lord Guild really are," Master looked at them. they struck when barely anyone was here. Is that anything worth braggin' about?"

"Wait, who was here?" Erza asked.

"I was." I said, getting up with a hiss of pain. They looked over at me with wide eyes as I slowly made my way over. Breathing heavily, I sat down on a nearby barrel, before looked up at them. "Erik, Dante, Bella, and I were ambushed after we closed up the guild for the night. Erik was hurt pretty bad, and I got a big slash on my back before our attacker knocked us out, but thankfully Bella and Dante were only knocked around a little." I explained. "I'm the only one awake so far."

Erza took in a deep calming breath. "I suppose we can be thankful for that. Only a few of us were hurt." She said.

"We shouldn't trouble ourselves worryin' about people who don't even have the guts to face us head on." Master said. "Forget about those fools."

Natsu obviously didn't agree. He slammed his fist into the wall, shattering the wood from the force with a snarl. "Ain't gonna happen gramps." He growled. "We can't just let them trash our place and get away with it!"

"I'm not talking about this any longer." Master said, his tone final. "We'll handle job requests down here 'till the upstairs is repaired."

Natsu started to protest. "We shouldn't be worryin' about jobs right no-"

"NATSU!" Master yelled. "THAT'S ENOUGH OUTTA YOU!" His hand stretched, and spanked Lucy.

Lucy shot him a venomous glare. "And you spanked me because?"

"Hand's to yourself Master!" Mira scolded.

Gramps pulled his hand away as he laughed sheepishly. He leapt off his table and started walking away.

"Where you going old man?!" Natsu growled.

"Ah keep your dress on, a gotta take a leak." He slurred as he kept walking.

Natsu huffed in annoyance. "I don't understand why he's bein' like this." He complained.

Mira sighed. "Listen, this is just as hard on him as it is on you." She said, looking down sadly. "He's mad, but conflict between the guilds is strictly forbidden by the council."

"It's not fair! Those Phantom creeps started it!" Natsu protested.

"I know but that doesn't matter!" Mira tried to reason.

"If the master's decision is to not retaliate. Then we must respect it." Erza said sagely.

"And trust me." I said, closing my eyes in frustration as they all looked at me. "The _last_ thing we want is the council getting involved."

* * *

I was laying back on my cot in the Archives later that day when Dante and Bella woke up.

"Hey guys." I said easily as they sat up.

"What happened?" Dante asked. "The last thing I remember is that crazy guy that took a bite out of my sword!"

"What?" I asked, my head snapping around sharply to look at him. "Did you get a good look at him?" I demanded.

"It happened too fast for me to see anything important." He said reluctantly.

"But not for me." Bella piped up. She had a hard frown on her face. "He was big, about Laxus' size, and had shaggy black hair, and red eyes that had slits instead of circles for pupils, like yours." She looked at me with scared but serious eyes. "I'm pretty sure he was a dragon slayer."

I nodded thoughtfully. "That, combined with the scent I caught before he took me out and adding in the fact that Phantom Lord claimed responsibility..." I closed my eyes, thinking for a second, before I growled feraly. "'Black Steel' Gajeel." I tried to stand up, but my back flared up and I had to sit down again with a groan.

"Damn it," I groaned. "Mira!" I yelled. The barmaid came rushing in.

"What's wrong?" She asked, starting to fuss over me.

"Nothing with me." I said seriously. "But warn everyone else that 'Black Steel' Gajeel, the one that's probably responsible for both attacks, might still be in the area. No one goes home alone tonight. Make sure they all understand that."

"But what about you and Erik?" She asked, warily glancing over at my brother.

"We'll stay here." I said. "The Archives are by far the best fortified room in the building. Bella, Dante, and I will take turns keeping watch." I smiled at her reassuringly. "We'll be fine."

"If you say so." She said uncertainly.

Right at that moment, Erik started groaning. His eyes flicked open with a wince as he tried to sit up and rub his head. "Who the hell switched my drink with the stronger stuff last night?" He groaned. "I'm gonna kill them for giving me this hangover." He hissed in pain and looked down at himself. "What the hell?"

"Go on Mira." I urged. "We can handle this."

"Alright." She said, sighing before she got up to leave, and I turned to Erik.

I looked at him with calculating, worried eyes. "What do you remember from last night?"

* * *

It was only a little after sunset when my instincts stood up and screamed.

"That the hell?" I whispered, before sniffing the air around us. The scent in the air made me snarl. "Show yourself." I growled lowly, taking care not to wake up the others.

"I knew you were powerful, but this is a surprise." A low voice rang out. He stepped out of the shadows, and smirked at me. "A pleasure to meet you, 'Star of Fairy Tail'." He was definitely big, just like Bella had described, with slicked back wild black hair, and piercing blood red eyes that had reptile slits instead of circle pupils. He was dressed in a tattered black sleeveless tunic, baggy tan pants, and black studded boots with matching studded fingerless gloves. He had piercings all over his body, with at least a ten on his face.

"'Black Steel' Gajeel." I snarled, before giving him a fanged grin. "I thought you had more guts then to attack a few wizards you already took down once." I smirked as Erik woke up, but didn't give any visible signals.

"I do." He said, circling me with a challenging smirk as I got to my feet with a pained hiss. "But the fact is, I'm provein' a point."

"Oh, and what point would that be?" I asked, faking surprise. "That Phantom Lord Wizards really _are_ cowards that only attack when their opponent's back is turned?" I needled.

He snarled at me. "That you fairies are weak compared to us." He said, stalking forwards.

"You know," I said, dodging to the side to keep circling him. "I think I overestimated you." He stopped and looked at me with a face that was equal amounts curiosity and anger. "Cause as powerful as you are, you forgot three critical things."

"Really?" He asked, starting to growl slightly.

"One." I said raising a finger. "I'm not alone." Erik leapt to his feet and nailed Gajeel with an **Acid** **Fist** to the jaw that made him take a few steps back. Bella followed her partner's lead, and busted out a battle axe that was twice her size from her sub-space pocket. Dante was standing beside her, a new version of his sword in paw, and a completely pissed look in his eyes. "Two." I rushed forwards, nailing him in the jaw with a gold fist, before abruptly kicking him in the face with a silver leg. The force from it pushed him back several feet. "Injured or not," I stalked forwards, growling all the way. "I'm still a Wizard Saint and a Dragon Slayer. You were lucky and got the drop on me the other night. Three." My lips lifted in a feral smile. "You're trespassing on my brood's territory." Gajeel's eyes widened, before he vanished in a blur of speed.

"What now?" Erik asked, looking at me.

"If he's smart." I said, looking at the spot he once occupied. "He'll get the hell out of the city, and he won't come back without an _army_ backing him up."

* * *

The next morning had already dawned bright and clear when we got the news. Team Shadow Gear had been attacked during the night, probably before Gajeel tried to take us out permanently.

Master Makarov was **pissed**...

...And we were officially at war with Phantom Lord.

Everyone else was on their way to Oak Town to storm the branch of Phantom Lord based there. Everyone but Lucy, who decided to stay behind with us to hold down the fort and keep an eye on our downed team.

About half way through the day, she left to go and pick up lunch. About ten minutes after she left, it started to rain while the sun was still out. "Erik." I said lowly. "I don't like the look of this." I said, glancing out the window. "It reeks of foreign magic."

"You want me to go and find Lucy?" He asked, looking at me with hopeful eyes.

"That's the idea. You're the more mobile one right now." I confirmed dejectedly. "I move at all, and my back starts acting up." I looked at him, my eyes hard. "Protect her."

"Always." He said, before running out the door. "Come on Bella!" The calico exceed nodded and flew after him. Cubellios unwound herself from around his arm, and started growing quickly. He leapt onto her back, Bella quick to follow as she wrapped her tail around his neck to balance and the three of them took to the sky.

I watched them fly away. "Stay safe you three." I whispered.

* * *

 **Lucy's POV:**

I was walking back to the guild, lunch in my arms. "Uh, I can't believe everyone just took off without me." I complained, before I thought it over a little more. "But the others need someone to look after them, so I guess it's up to me." Rain started to fall around me, and I put out a hand to catch the drops as I looked up at the sky. "It's raining while the sun 's still out?" I asked, confused. I started to head footsteps, and a girl appeared in front of me. "Who are you?" I asked, fear creeping into my voice.

She certainly was pretty, with long blue hair that was curled inwards at the ends, and was wearing a Russian outfit that was in different shades of blue, along with black boots and tights. "Drip drip drop. Juvia is the rain woman." She said, her voice in a monotone. "It's always with me. And what sort of woman are you pray tell?" She asked, getting closer

I flinched back as she walked right past me. "I'm just the regular kind?" My answer came out as more of a question.

"Drip drip drop." She said, not even looking at me.

"What's with all the drip dropping?" I asked nervously.

She didn't answer, but opened a pink umbrella. "Pleasure to meet you, I'll be going now." She said.

"Well take the rain with you!" I yelled.

 _"No no no! No no no!"_ A voice echoed out. I turned as the stones behind me started to shift and bend, forming a body. _"No no no no no no no no!"_ He was a total weirdo, in an orange suit, dark green hair, and a creepy monical over one eye. This weird black cape thing was attached to the sleeves of both of his arms, and I couldn't see his feet at all. They were still connected with the earth.

* * *

 **Erik's POV:**

"Come on Cubellios, we need to go faster." I urged. Cubellios surged her wings in response and propelled herself to even greater speeds as I sniffed the air, looking for Lucy's scent. Finally, I caught it. "There!" I said, pointing down towards our left.

Cubellios swooped down to glide overhead as I got a look at the situation. Lucy was cornered by two of the Element Four in an ally. The gloomy Juvia Lockser and that French creep Sol of the Earth. Juvia had her trapped in the Water Lock spell and Lucy was quickly loosing consciousness.

"The target has been captured, drip, drip, drop." Juvia droned, before Sol grabbed her and they phased into the earth.

"Let her go!" I growled, dropping down to confront them just as they disappeared. "Damn it!" I yelled, punching the ground. I hung my head as the rain started to disappear, and caught sight of Lucy's Gate Key pouch. I picked up the key ring, examining it for a moment, before clenching my fist around it. "Cubellios!" I yelled. My faithful friend looked down at me curiously. "Find them, then come back and get me." She gave me a fanged grin, before shooting up into the sky and disappearing.

I looked down at the keys again, before looking at the sky. "I'll find you Lucy, and return these. I promise."


	53. Lucy Heartfilia

**I'm seriously going through a small crisis right now.**

 **I'm not sure how many of you actually read these short author notes, but I wanted to try anyway.**

 **I am a writer. Plain and simple. Writing is also a form of art. I LOVE writing, spreading my art to everyone willing to give it a chance, but the lack of reviews is starting to wear on me. I don't care if you guys flame me, praise me, or something in between, just give me SOME input.**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail or the Celestial Demons.**

* * *

It was a few hours before the rest of the guild started to trickle in from the raid. They all looked disheartened and downtrodden, and Gramps was missing. "What happened?" I asked Erza, who was trailing in the back. "Where's Gramps?"

"Master was drained of his magic." She said as my eyes widened in horrified shock. "We had to call a retreat."

I clenched my fist. "I should have gone with you." I said, looking down. "I could have taken on Jose instead."

Erza put her hands on my shoulders. "There's nothing you could have done." She said, drawing me into a hug as her armor disappeared. "It was Aria of the Heavens, one of the Element Four. He would have gotten you too if you had come."

"I know." I said dejectedly, looking up at her again. "But that doesn't make me feel any better." I looked around, assessing injuries and moral while taking a head count. "Where's Natsu?" I asked. "I didn't see him come in with you."

"He disappeared when we retreated." Erza explained. "I think he grabbed a member of Phantom Lord to force him to lead him to Phantom HQ."

"Why would he do that?" I asked incredulously.

"I'm not sure." Erza said.

"Erik disappeared awhile ago too." I said, thinking it over. "I sent him to go get Lucy when I noticed suspicious activity around town." I looked at her with wide eyes. "You don't think...?"

"I fear they did." She agreed grimly.

"They went after Lucy." We said together.

* * *

 **Erik's POV:**

I snarled under my breath as Cubellios flew faster. She had come back after only an hour of searching, and was taking me straight to Lucy. Bella was cuddled up to me, safe in one of the specially made pockets on the inside of my coat. Suddenly Cubellios reared up and I caught a scent I knew as well as my own.

I looked down, saw Natsu stalking down the trail we were following, dragging an unlucky member of Phantom Lord that was screaming and on fire as Happy flew alongside him. "Natsu!" I yelled as Cubellios swooped down, "Heads up!"

Natsu looked up at me, and held up an arm for me to grab as he let go of the idiot and Happy grabbed onto his leg. I caught his wrist easily and pulled him up behind me. "Thanks for the lift." He said gratefully, adjusting to make himself more comfortable.

"We were already on our way." I said, looking forwards as my eyes narrowed. "This'll make it easier."

* * *

 **Lucy's POV:**

I slowly came around, pushing myself onto my knees when I felt that my hands were tied behind my back. "What the? How did I get here?!" I asked nervously, looking around the cell I was trapped in.

"So, you're finally awake," A voice said. "I was getting worried about you Lucy."

I whirled around as the cell door opened. "Who are you?" I asked warily.

The man that walked in was tall, yet slimly built, with angled features, slightly pointed ears, and a thin mustache. His hair was black with dark red highlights that were only a few shades darker than Erik's, while his eyes were a poisonous green. "I am Master Jose Porla, of the Phantom Lord Guild."

"You're with Phantom?!" I yelled in shock. _'_ _That's right.'_ I thought. _'I was captured by two of the Element Four.'_

"I'd like to apologize for this dingy cell." He said with a polite bow. "And being tied up _must_ be degrading." He said mockingly. "But I'm afraid I had no choice my dear. That _is_ how you treat a prisoner after all."

"You're the jerks who attacked my friend Levy!" I yelled, struggling for a moment before going still again. "You better let me go! My friends are gonna come looking for me!" I threatened.

"Depending on your willingness to cooperate," he said, looking away and rubbing his chin in thought. "I'm prepared to treat you as Phantom Lord's esteemed guest rather than a lowly prisoner."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked suspiciously, glaring at him until I felt something crawling up my leg. I squealed. "YUCK! THE BUG CRAWLED ON ME!"

"See?" Jose said smugly. "You don't want to stay in here do you? I have a beautifully decorated suite waiting for you, if you promise to behave."

I glared at him again, shaking off my fear. "Why does your guild keep attacking us?!" I demanded.

"Who is us?" He asked finging confusion for a moment. "Oh, I'm sorry are you talking about Fairy Tail?" He sneered at me. "It was a means to an end, and that's all."

"What?" I asked softly.

"You see, we were working towards an objective of acquiring a certain someone." He explained. "They happen to be a member of Fairy Tail, so if we have to destroy the guild to get ahold of them, so be it."

"Who are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"Oh my my, you're such a naïve young lady." He said mockingly. "Not at _all_ what I would expect from a _debutant_." My eyes went wide with shock. "I'm talking about you of course." He said condescendingly. "Lady Lucy, the privileged daughter of the wealthy Heartfilia Family." He narrowed his eyes.

I glared at him. "But how did you find out about that?" I asked, unable to keep my voice from shaking.

"You know," He continued, ignoring me. "I'm surprised you never told your fellow Guild Members the truth, and I don't understand why the daughter of a wealthy tycoon would stoop to such cheap and dangerous work as wizarding for such a low class guild. Do you?"

"I've been, kidnapped?" I questioned nervously.

"No my dear. I promise it's not like that." He said, trying to reassure me. "We're not looking for ransom money, we're just doing out job. We were hired by your father to bring you home to him."

I gasped in shock, my breath hitching in my throat. "No." I whispered. "I don't understand." I said louder. "Why would he want me back?" I questioned, hanging my head.

"You seem confused." Jose said. "Any father would go looking for a daughter who ran away from home."

"Not him." I said quietly. "Honestly I'm shocked he even noticed that I was gone." I looked up him defiantly. "I'M NOT EVER GONNA GO BACK TO THAT HOUSE! I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH HIM!"

"Oh dear." He said, smirking slightly. "I should have known you would be problematic."

"Well you might as well just let me go." I said smugly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that." He shot back.

"Please." I said, before twitching. "I need to go to the bathroom." I whined.

"Give me a break." He said mockingly. "You don't think I'd fall for the oldest trick in the book, do you?"

"No, for real." I said, squirming a little. "I'm dying here." I squeaked.

"Fine then." He said, pulling out a bucket and setting it down in front of me. "Go ahead."

"A BUCKET?!" I yelled indigently.

He chuckled a little. "I'm ready for any old trick you throw my way." He smiled smugly.

"Guess it'll have to work..." I sighed, getting up.

Jose started twitching. "You're gonna use it?!" He said, sounding offended. "Well, I have never met such a vulgar young lady! I'll turn away because I'm a gentleman..." He turned his back to me.

I smirked...

...before kicking him as hard as I could right between the legs.

He fell to his knees with a gasp of pain. "You know, there's a reason old tricks are still around. Cause they work!" I said, walking past him. "Bye! Take care kay?!" I said cheekily, winking as I sped towards the door, only to stop with a gasp. I wasn't in a dungeon cell, I was in a tower, and the ground was a good few hundred feet below. The wind ruffled my hair as my eyes went wide.

"Oops, I forgot to mention." Jose groaned from behind me. "This cell is several stories high." I turned around as he stumbled towards me. "I must admit, you really did a number on me young lady." I glared as he came closer, only to look down again as I heard something on the wind...

 _"Lucy!"_

...My father's image flashed before my eyes as Jose spoke again. "But you're not going to get away with it. You will be punished." His eyes were slightly crazed as he looked up at me. "I'll show you just how terrifying Phantom Lord can be." I debated with myself for a moment, before coming to a decision...

...and flung myself backwards off the ledge as Jose reached out to grab me.

I relaxed as I fell, going limp as I projected my thoughts as loud as I could.

 _'I heard you in the distance._ _I KNOW you're here!'_

The sound of the wind rushing by filled my ears as I screamed as loud as I could...

"ERIK!"

"LUCY!"

Something slammed into me midair, and I opened my eyes to find myself in Erik's arms as we were riding on Cubellios. "I made it just in time." He said, sighing in relief as his arms tightened around me.

"Yeah, thank you. I knew you'd save me." I said, softly smiling at him as he grinned roguishly.

"Woah! It's raining Lucy's!" Happy's voice rang out, reminding me about the other people with us. Natsu and Happy were riding behind us, grinning up a storm as Erik and I turned red in embarrassment.

Erik swung me around, settling me on Cubellios right behind him, just in front of Natsu, who started working on the ropes around my wrists. "There you go." He said as the ropes went slack. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I think so." I said, rubbing the stiffness away, before wrapping my arms around Erik to keep my balance. Bella popped out of his jacket, and slid into my lap, cuddling up to me as I tried to stay calm and composed.

"That's good news." Happy said. "Okay, we'd better head back to the Guild."

"What?!" Natsu protested. "That's their Headquarters! Let's get 'em!" He said.

"We can't!" Happy argued. "Erza told us to retreat!"

"Cause she's a wimp!" Natsu argued back. "I'll face those guys by myself if I have too!"

"Don't be an idiot Natsu!" Erik said, interrupting them. He glanced back, his one purple eye glaring as it's pupil narrowed into a slit. "From what you told me, half the guild is down, not to mention our master." He looked forwards again as Bella looked back at me. "We'll be more useful protecting those of us that are vulnerable, just in case Phantom decides to retaliate." As he spoke, my eyes started to tear up, images of those that were hurt playing through my mind on a loop.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, making them shut up. "I'm **so** sorry." My arms tightened around Erik as I hid my face in his back and sobbed. "All of this, **everything** , It's MY fault! I don't wanna leave!" I sobbed. "I wanna stay with you guys! Cause I _love_ being in Fairy Tail!"

"It's not your fault at all." Bella said, wrapping her tail around me tightly as I gripped Erik harder, sobbing even more. "Don't blame this on yourself in the slightest. It was Phantom Lords fault."

Bella's words only made me cry harder.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

 _Hidden away in Magnolia's East Forest, you'll find a tree house where an old friend of Master Makarov's lives. Porlyusica is a highly skilled healer, but she lives a life of seclusion because of her hatred of man kind. Her specialty is in the treatment of ailments that were caused by magic, which is why the master was brought to her, and why I decided to seek her help._

Porlyusica poured a small vile into a beaker filled with a green solution, handed it to me with a small glare. "Drink this." She ordered sternly, before walking over and slapping Gramps across the face. I held back a laugh from my place sitting on the edge of his bed as Bisca and Alzack freaked out.

"What did you do that for?!" Alzack demanded, taking a step forwards.

"Hey! We wanted you to cure our master! Not make him worse!" Bisca protested.

"It's what he deserves for pushing himself so hard at his age." The healer replied disdainfully, looking down at the Gramps with a hard glare. "Honestly, you're such and old fool." She said, looking down at him, before her head snapped towards my guild mates. "DON'T YOU THINK YOU SHOULD BE LEAVING NOW? I'M SICK OF LOOKING AT YOU!"

"Well can you at least tell us what his condition is?!" Alzack asked frustrated.

"We wanna help you take care of him!" Bisca added desperately.

"Just go home." Porlyusica said. The two Gun Mages looked shocked. "Those ridiculously worried faces of yours will only aggravate his condition." She ignored the two of them as she looked back down at Master. Her face was grave as she started muttering through a diagnosis. "These symptoms suggest a powerful wind spell was used. My guess, the spell known as **Drain**. This terrible spell drains it's victim of all their magic abilities. Their powers then drift along the winds until they have dissipated completely." She narrowed her eyes in regret before shutting them. "If only you had gathered Makarov's powers when they were initially drained he could have recovered quickly, but as things stand now it'll take quite a bit longer."

"How long do ya think?" Alzack asked gravely.

"I'm sure the other's will wanna know." Bisca said worriedly.

Their questions just set off Porlyusica. "WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?!" She snapped, a tic mark appearing on her forehead.

Alzack and Bisca reeled back in shock. "I'm sorry but I thought you were talking to us all this time ma'am!" Alzack apologized, panicking slightly.

Porlyusica snatched up her infamous broom and started swinging. "OF COURSE I WASN'T! I CAN'T STAND THE STINK OF YA!" Both gun mages sweat dropped at her temper, ducking out of the way of her swings. "GET OUTTA HERE ALREADY! GO ON MOVE IT! SHOO! SHOO" I held in a laugh as they both bolted for the door and hightailed it away.

"Bye ma'am!" Alzack called out.

"It's been real nice talking to ya!" Bisca said nervously as she wrenched open the door and slammed it, shaking the house.

"Wait for me!" Alzack yelled, almost ripping the doors of the hinges to follow her and slamming it behind him again.

I gave up then and burst out laughing before groaning at the pain that shot down my back with the motions. "Stop moving around!" Porlyusica demanded fiercely, bopping me on the head in irritation. "At this rate you'll only aggravate that laceration and make it worse!" She looked down at the beaker in my hand before glaring at me again. "I thought I told you to drink that!" she said.

I lifted up the beaker to eye level, grimacing at the smell for a moment, before steeling myself and gulping it all down in one shot. I nearly gagged with how rancid it tasted, but managed to keep it all down regardless. "God that was nasty." I moaned.

"Good." She said gruffly, handing me a glass of water to wash out the taste. "That means I got it right this time."

"I'll say." I said, flexing the muscles in my back slightly as I gratefully drank the water. The pain had dulled down to the point where I could at least somewhat move, but I could still feel it there. "This feels loads better then the last time we tried." I took a deep breath, and slowly stood, moving slowly to make sure the dull throbs wouldn't hinder me.

"You wouldn't believe the trouble I had to go through to find the right combination." She said, glaring at me as she started unraveling the bandages. "Those herbs had to be _ridiculously_ strong to even _begin_ to work on pseudo-dragon hybrids." She hissed slightly as the last bandage fell away. "Well," She said, looking over the slash with a critical eye. "You're lucky that Black Steel didn't bother to go too deep with his attack, or else ya probably wouldn't be walking around at all. It just barely missed your spine." My eyes widened in fearful realization as she walked away and pulled a few jars off a shelf.

"This is going to sting." She warned as she pulled the lid off the largest. I nodded in comprehension, and she poured the disinfectant over the slash. I grit my teeth, bearing with the pain as I knew it would be over soon, and let out a sigh of relief as soon as it was over. She then unscrewed the next jar, and scooped out a handful of blue paste that she slowly dabbed onto it. "That should do it." She said, stopping to grab a new set of clean bandages. "As long as ya don't do anything stupid ya should be completely healed in about two weeks." She tied off the end of the last bandage and handed me the last jar.

Showing through the glass were a bunch of white and black pills. "Take one of those every morning and every night." She instructed. "And come back to me when ya run out."

"Thanks Porlyusica." I said, standing up and walking towards the door. "We'll talk about payment then too?"

"No need." She said, turning back to Master. "We'll draw another pint of your blood then and call it even."

"Running tests on dragon blood again?" I asked curiously, smiling as she started mixing a new beaker.

"Exactly." She said, not even bothering to look up as she . "The sheer number of breakthroughs I've made by studying your blood alone gives you an advancement on years of healing."

I chuckled slightly. "You just like it because I'm the only Slayer you've ever seen with Type O blood."

"That too." She agreed reluctantly. "Send your brother my way once you get back. The anti-toxins in his blood are perfect for developing anti-venom."

"Will do." I said, walking towards the door, before I stopped for a second and glanced back over my shoulder at Master. "Get well soon Gramps." I whispered, before continuing on.


	54. 15 Minutes

**I don't own Fairy Tail, nor do I own the Celestial Demons.**

 **The Celestial Demons belong to _fairytailcrossover._**

 **Vega: _But you do own me right?_**

 **Yes, yes I do.**

 **Vega: _Dante, Bella, and Chui too right?_**

 **Yup.**

 **Vega: _Bummer..._**

 **Tell me about it. But onto more important matters.**

 _ **To all my readers:**_

 _ **I am happy to say that, without a doubt, The Star of Fairy Tail has become my most viewed story on Fanfiction! Unfortunately, it is not my most popular as of yet. As much as I love you guys, I'm starting to get discouraged by the lack of reviews. I mean we have three times as many favs, and nearly four times as many follows as my most popular story, and yet we have not even a quarter as many reviews.**_

 _ **I love writing this for you guys, but if I don't get at least 50 reviews before I get to chapter 60, I'm switching this story over to Quotev permanently and taking it down on this site.**_

* * *

As I descended the stairs into the basement I walked into a makeshift war room. Macao and the older members of the guild were focused on a map that was laid out on one of the tables, while the others were prepping themselves for another assault.

"Macao! Fill me in." I ordered, stepping up to the table with hard eyes.

"Right." He said, his face grim as he started to outline the basics of the plan. "Okay, so their headquarters is here." He said, pointing out the location on the map. "So I'm thinking we should try and hit 'em with some long range spells from this South-East hill." He tapped the hill in emphasis.

"It's a solid base plan." I agreed, studying the map as I pulled out a few chess pieces I had stored in my requip space. "But we still need to work out the rest of the assault." As I started moving the pawns and muttering out the rough beginnings of contingence plans, Macao and Wakaba drifted away to leave me to my planning.

"I'm bringing out all my Explosive Lacrima's next time!" Wakaba said fiercely as he started packing the sphere's into a sack.

"Just be careful with those." I warned, not even looking up from the plan. "If they send out Aria of the Element Four they can be redirected at us instead."

"I'll remember that." He said darkly, not even pausing to look at me.

"Hey guys! I'm gonna need spell books for Holder Type Magic from the archives!" Macao yelled, studying a small red book.

"Good idea Macao." I agreed, looking up at him. "Anyone who can, start studying up on Holder Types!" I ordered. Everyone who wasn't hurt nodded in agreement and moved towards the archives.

I was vaguely aware of the members of Team Natsu in the corner. They were gathered around Lucy, who seemed depressed.

"Vega!" Mira Jane called. I looked up to see her standing by the makeshift bar in front of a Communication Lacrima. "I'm putting through a call to Laxus, do you want to listen?"

I nodded and moved towards her as the Lacrima started glowing. "Cana." I whispered to the card mage, who was sitting nearby. She looked up at me as I pulled a chair over and sat down. "Can you use your magic to search for Mystogan?" She nodded, and began laying out her cards to start tarot reading as someone answered on the Lacrima.

 _"This is Thunder God Legion."_ Freed Justine said, his face stoic as ever. _"This better be an emergency."_ Freed was the younger brother of my best friend, but unlike her he had long light green hair, and a much more serious personality compared to her go-with-the-flow outlook.

"It is." Mira assured seriously as his eyes widened slightly. I mentally applauded her as she continued. "Can you hand me over the Laxus? It's extremely important."

Freed nodded, and handed it off. Laxus appeared in the Lacrima next. _"What's so important it couldn't wait until we got back?"_ Laxus growled.

"We're at war with Phantom Lord." Mira said. Laxus' eyes went wide as a sinister sneer pulled at his mouth.

 _"So the old man finally grew a pair and decided to take the fight to them?"_ He asked mockingly.

"They attacked us first." Mira said, glaring at him slightly, before Cana distracted us for a moment by tossing her cards into the air.

"Come on!" She said, frustration leaking into her voice. "I'm not getting any kind of read on where Mystogan is!"

"Oh dear." Mira said, turning to her for a moment. "You did your best." She assured.

Cana didn't look so convinced. "If Lucy's their real target they're bound to attack. And I would bet it sooner than later. Right now we've just got too many wounded to put up much of a fight." She started gulping from the bottle in her hand as Mira turned back to the Lacrima.

"Master is seriously injured." She reported. "As is Vega, and we can't seem to locate Mystogan. You're the only one left that we can turn too. Help us Laxus!" She pleaded. Laxus just sneered as she continued. "We could really use you about now. Fairy Tail is in terrible danger!"

Laxus just started laughing. _Man Makarov is freaking pathetic! Hahahaha!"_ He laughed before turning back to Mira. _"I don't see how this is remotely MY problem. You're big girls, so deal with it yourselves!"_

"So you're not gonna help us?!" Cana demanded angrily.

 _"Corse not!"_ He said, making me growl slightly. _"Why would I? That senile old toad started this, why do I have to be the one to clean up his mess?!"_

"Please Laxus!" Mira pleaded. "Phantom's trying to kidnap Lucy!"

 _"Who?"_ Laxus asked arrogantly. _"Do I even know her? Oh wait, is it that new girl?"_ He smirked, though it didn't reach his eyes. _"Tell you what, if you can talk blondie into bein' my woman I'll do anything she wants."_ Something in me snapped at that.

"That. IS. **IT**!" I growled, swaying slightly as I got to my feet. I stalked over to the Lacrima and glared at Laxus, who pulled back slightly in surprise. **"LAXUS DREYAR I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU!"** I snarled before narrowing my eyes. " **I may be hurt pretty badly right now, but I** **a** **m acting Master until Gramps get's better and I know without a** _ **fucking doubt**_ **I could** _ **still**_ **take you on like this and** _ **win**_ **."** I hissed angrily, my Alpha Dragon Magic unconsciously leaking into my voice. He glared at me, before flinching back slightly as my eyes started glowing. "Get you and your team's asses here within the next half-hour or so help me I will ask Master Makarov for permission to lock all of you in the Demon World for the next _month_." His eye widened slightly, betraying his fear of the thought, but he continued to meet my eyes defiantly.

We glared at each other for a few more minutes, before he relented. _"Fine."_ He said shortly, before cutting off the call.

I relaxed with a sigh, before almost collapsing. Luckily Cana and Mira caught me before I hit the floor. "Vega! You shouldn't push yourself so hard right now! You're still hurt!" Mira scolded as they maneuvered me back into my chair.

"He deserved it." I panted, wincing slightly from the brief pain that flared up. "And I didn't have a choice. I can barely stand, much less fight. Whether we like it or not, we _need_ him right now."

Mira looked down and clenched her fists. "I can't just sit here and watch!" She said, tears starting to drip down her face. "I have to join the others and fight!" She started to walk away.

"Wait don't be ridiculous!" Cana said, trying to talk some sense into our friend.

"I feel totally useless being stuck here at the Guild Hall, I wanna help!" She sobbed.

"I understand." Cana said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "But you'll only get in the way as you are now!" She reasoned. "Even if you were once and S-Class Wizard." Mira looked at her with tear filled eyes and nodded in understanding.

"Well then." I said, finally getting my breathing under control. "Mira, hand me that Lacrima." I ordered, my eyes narrowing. "I've got one more call to make."

* * *

 _"...I see."_ The girl in the Lacrima said, putting a hand on her chin in thought. _"Give me five minutes and I be there."_

I nodded in acceptance. "You'll wait for my signal?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

 _"Oh hell yes!"_ She said, a gleeful grin stretching across her face as her bright blue eyes glittered in amusement. _"It's about time someone stuck it to that bastard."_

I smiled at her vindictive sense of humor. "I'll see you then." I said. She nodded, and the Lacrima went dark just as the ground started shaking. "What the hell?!" I yelled in surprise. "Mira! Cana! Help me up! We need to investigate!"

The two girls grabbed me by the arms, and helped me up the stairs.

The sight we were confronted with, royally pissed me off.

"What is that thing?!" Natsu asked, looking shocked as all hell.

It was Phantom Lord's Guild Hall only, it was mobile, and it was coming towards us from the ocean. The rest of the Guild was already gathered by the edge of the water, watching it warily. Even Erza was there in her bath towel, her hair still wet from the shower.

"It's a guild hall with ginormous legs!" Happy yelled.

"No shit Sherlock!" Dante shot back, not taking his eyes off the massive structure.

"Is it Phantom?" Loki asked.

"I'd bet money on it." Erik said darkly.

"How do we fight that thing?!" Wakaba asked, freaking out.

It took another step, kicking up waves of water when it set it's foot down.

"I never anticipated this!" Erza said, shaking like a leaf in her bath towel. "I can't believe they'd go to such extremes to attack us!"

Jellal wrapped an arm round her shoulders. "It just goes to show how desperate they really are." He said evenly, his eyes never leaving the walking guild as it set itself down in the water.

"Well this is just fucking perfect..." I cursed lowly as the front of it opened up, revealing a long cannon barrel. The tip of it started glowing with blue and black light, like it was preparing for a shot. "SHIT!" I ripped my arms out of Cana and Mira's grasps and started running forward, the adrenalin propelling me forwards despite the pain.

"RUN! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Erza yelled as she sprinted to catch up with me.

"Erza! Vega!" Mira called out.

"Don't be stupid!" Macao yelled. We both just ignored them, and Erza requip into her Adamanitum Armor as I started chanting under my breath. My eyes turned solid purple as the guild mark on my back started glowing...

...and a set of tattoo wings appeared around it.

 _ **"Gather! Oh fire of my soul nurtured by the Fairies!"**_

"Erza requip!" Cana exclaimed.

"What are you doing?!" Loki yelled franticly.

"PROTECTING THE GUILD HALL!" Erza yelled, defiantly standing between them and the cannon at my side.

"That's her Adamantium Armor!" Happy yelled in shock.

"Is she gonna try and block the cannon's shot?!" Bisca asked, her voice disbelieving.

"But there's no way her armor's gonna hold up against a blast that strong!" Alzack said.

"That's what Vega's for!" Dante said confidently.

 _ **"Shine! In defense of those I cherish!"**_

"You're just risking your lives! This is ridiculous!" Wakaba shouted.

"STAY BACK!" Erza ordered.

I could hear Natsu struggling against Gray's hold. "ERZA! VEGA!"

"You're not gonna be able ta stop 'em! We just gotta have faith in them!" Gray yelled, pinning Natsu's arm behind his back.

The cannon fired. Erza slammed her shield together. I finished my spell by lifting a palm towards the blast...

...and my eyes turned solid gold

 **"FAIRY SPHERE!"**

The force of the cannon blast sent up waves of water as a golden dome sprung up from my hand, enveloping the guild hall as it was augmented by Erza's own defensive capabilities. The blast connected, and Erza and I both grunted from the strain against our spells.

"NO!" Natsu roared, still straining to get close.

Erza's shield started cracking as the blast became more concentrated. Finally it shattered, sending her flying back with a scream as I continued to hold up the Fairy Sphere. "I won't let you get through." I whispered, gritting my teeth as the blast finally started dissipating, kicking up a cloud of dust.

When it cleared, I was standing tall at the end of a large gouge in the land.

"I don't believe this..." Macao said in quiet disbelief. "They actually managed to stop it."

"Once again, Erza and Vega are the manliest ones in the Guild."

"Yeah but look..." Cana said.

Erza hadn't moved from where she was thrown, and was trying to get her breath back. The last pieces of her Adamantium armor disappeared as Natsu and Jellal stopped next to her. I fell to my knees panting heavily and hung my head in exhaustion as Erik and Dante skid to a stop beside me. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I think so." I said quietly as I winced from the pain in my back again.

 _ **"Makarov has fallen, and now Erza and Vega can no longer stand."**_ Jose's voice echoed out. **_"Surrender Lucy Heartfilia immediately."_** He ordered. _**"You have no choice."**_

"That's not gonna happen!" Alzack said fiercely.

"Like any guild would hand over one of their own to a monster like you!" Bisca agreed.

"YOU HEAR THAT?! LUCY'S STAYIN' PUT!" Macao yelled.

"YEAH!" The rest of the guild cheered in agreement.

 _ **"I won't ask again!"** _ Jose said.

"WE WOULD NEVER BETRAY HER LIKE THAT!" Erza yelled defiantly.

"YOU'D HAVE TO KILL US FIRST!" Jellal yelled in agreement.

"YEAH!" The guild roared.

"SHE'S STAYIN' WITH US!" Erik yelled as he stood in front of the blond, blocking her from their view as he snarled dangerously. "AND NOTHING AN IDIOT LIKE YOU CAN SAY WILL CHANGE OUR MINDS!"

"SO YOU CAN STOP ASKIN' NOW!" Natsu roared back, completely pissed. "CAUSE WE'RE NOT GONNA GIVE YOU ANY OTHER ANSWER! WE'RE TAKING EVERY ONE OF YOU JERKS DOWN!"

 **"Celestial Sound Dragon's Voice."** I whispered, before struggling to my feet. "AS ACTING MASTER OF FAIRY TAIL, I ONLY GOT ONE THING TA SAY TO YOU JOSE!" I roared, my voice booming out and making everyone else shut up. "RANA! NOW!"

 _ **"SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKER!"**_ A female voice rang out through the system Jose was using, the tower in the middle of Phantom Lord's Guild hall exploded.

I laughed as everyone stopped in shock. "Perfect timing Rana!" I yelled.

 _ **"** **I wouldn't be celebrating so soon."** _ Jose's voice rang out again as Rana let out a scream of pain that was abruptly cut short and something was flung out of the dust and slammed into the ground to the Phantom Guild Hall's left. _**"IF THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT I'LL GIVE YOU A SECOND HELPING OF JUPITER! YOU'VE GOT FIFTEEN MINUTES TO PONDER THE FOLLY OF YOUR ACTIONS!"**_

I tapped the miniature Communication Lacrima in my ear. "Rana! Are you alright?!" I demanded franticly as I tuned out everyone else.

The sound of coughing and a groan sounded before she answered. _"Yeah, I'm_ _a little sore but_ _okay._ _B_ _astard packs a hell of a punch though..."_ She said with a small chuckle.

"Did you at least get in a good hit?" I asked curiously.

 _"Oh yeah, he's gonna be nursin' that black eye for a month."_ She said laughing.

"Alright, you rest up, we'll take it from here." I said, looking towards the Phantom Lord hall as dozens of shades flew out of the structure.

 _"_ _Ten four good buddy."_ She answered. _"And good luck."_ I tapped it again, turning it off as Jose's voice started up again.

 _ **"You're in quite a quandary aren't ya Fairy Tail?"** Jose's voice mocked. **"There are only two ways this situation can play out. Either my troops will tear you apart, or you'll be blown away by Jupiter!"**_

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Macao yelled in shock. "IF HE FIRES AT US HE'LL KILL HIS OWN MEN!"

"Surely he's bluffin'!" Wakaba said nervously, trying to convince himself more than anyone. "Who would do something like that?!"

"No he's gonna do it." Cana said gravely, not taking her eyes off the approaching horde. Macao and Wakaba looked at her in shock as she continued. "Those phantom soldiers were created by Jose's Shade Magic. They're not human, so it won't matter to him if they're destroyed."

"What the heck are Phantom soldiers?!" Bisca asked, panicking.

"You're saying they're ghosts?!" Alzack asked, echoing her tone.

"We've gotta do something to take out that Jupiter Cannon!" Cana said seriously.

"I'm gonna smash that thing ta pieces!" Natsu said angrily, slamming a fist into his palm. "I only got fifteen minutes to wreck it right?" Cana and I nodded, and he took off running. "Come on Happy!" He yelled, before jumping up.

"Aye sir!" Happy yelled, grabbing him and flying towards the Phantom Lord monster.

"Kay Elfman, Jellal!" Gray said, running forwards. "We're gonna storm the place too!"

"Right!" Jellal agreed as they took off.

Elfman was neck and neck with them at they ran. "Oh yeah!" The beast mage yelled in excitement

"Everyone else! This is where we make our stand! Nothing gets past us!" I roared, turning to face the oncoming hord of shade again. "NO ONE FUCKS WITH FAIRY TAIL AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!" The guild roared in agreement, and charged into the fray. "Mira! Get Erza inside, and take Lucy to the hide out!" I yelled back, she nodded and grabbed Lucy.

We were doing pretty good, until I noticed some of the others go down when the shades passed through them. "Whatever you do, just don't let them touch you!" Loki yelled, slashing through them with his Ring Magic.

"Erik!" I yelled, making him look at me. "Unison Raid!" He nodded and managed to weave his way through the fighting to my side. We locked hands, synchronizing our magic momentarily. "Now!" We yelled together.

 **"Star Dragon's Heavenly Acid!"** The two of us let out our roars as we spun, creating a large silver and red whirlpool that took out nearly a hundred of the shades in one go, only for them to instantly reform.

Bisca and Alzack lit up their half of the battlefield wiping out uncountable phantoms. The shades they took out instantly reformed though. "It's worse then I thought..." I whispered in horror.

"Oh come on!" Bisca complained.

"They can regenerate?!" Alzack asked in frustration.

"Now what?!" Cana asked me.

"Man that just ain't fair!" Wakaba complained.

"We can't seem to catch a break!" Macao said, gritting his teeth.

"There'll be not end to them if we fight like this!" Loki said. Suddenly he stopped. "What's that?" He whispered. "I gotta bad feeling all of a sudden..."

"We just need to hold them off long enough for backup to arrive!" I roared as I pulled my Keys out. **"** **Open! Gates of the Raiju! Hydrus! Bluecap! Gorgon! Vampire!"** Black and gold light swirled around me as I pushed myself to the limits. **"Alepou! Hydra! Edafos! Medusa! Amia!"** The bells rang out and my Demons leapt into the fray. Alepou was frying them left and right, while Hydra let out wave after wave of poison. Eadfos was going to town with his pickax, happily bashing skulls as Amia guarded his back and brought down any that slipped past him. Medusa wove in and out of the phantoms, turning them to stone randomly.

I don't know how long we fought for, but I could feel the strain of opening five Black Gates at once on my magic. I was quickly getting tired, and my vision swam as I forced myself to keep going. I ducked under another phantom before popping up behind it. **"Star Dragon Meteor Fist!"** My hand coated itself in starlight, and I started punching and Phantom in sight before switching tactics. **"Star Dragon Comet Tail!"** I rocketed into the sky, drawing off a couple dozen of them, before using evasion. Bisca and Alzack caught on to what I was doing, and started taking potshots at the idiots on my tail.

 **"One Magic: Star Dragon Comet Tail!"** I ducked as another girl rocketed over my head, nailing a few of the remaining phantoms as she copied my magic.

"Nice of you to join in Rana!" I said, changing course until I was flying beside her. The new girl had dark green hair that was nearly black and startling bright blue eyes that complimented her pale skin. She was about my age, and was wearing a dark blue tube top, white jeans, and navy blue shoes. A silver charm bracelet was on her right wrist, and the Fairy Tail Guild Stamp was on her bare left shoulder in dark blue outlined with white.

"You know me." She said, casually dodging around another of the Phantoms. "I could never sit out a fight for long." She looked me over with critical eyes, assessing the damage. "You'll need to rest soon Vega." She said, a hard note in her voice. "You're already pushing yourself to the limits with five gates open and constently using your magic, and on top of that you were already hurt."

"It's not that ba-" I tried to protest, before gasping in pain as I felt the muscles in my back seize and burn. My magic cut off abruptly as I lost focus, sending me hurdling towards the ground.

"Vega!" Rana yelled as she dove after me. As I blacked out I heard explosions and the cheers of the guild that turned into horrified gasps, and felt the wind biting into my skin and the sound of thunder echoing in my ears as I landed in someone's arms...


	55. Captured

**I'll be skipping over Elfman's fight with Sol, and Grey's fight with Juvia. Assume they went exactly as cannon. Mainly because I can't write in French and that orange suited idiot annoys the hell out of me. You may also notice that Laxus is a lot more empathetic and aware of himself in this fic. Vega beat that into him when they were younger, but don't worry, he's going to totally _snap_ later.**

 **A few people have complained that Vega is too OP. In all reality she's actually not. Her magic reserves have to be incredibly large to support the various magic she can use, and her stamina has to be incredibly large to counter it. On another note, the only reason she was able to keep fighting in the last chapter was a combination of adrenalin, will power, extremely strong painkillers, and protective instincts, the three great steroids. Vega has unlocked her second origin, mostly so she can actually handle her dual Slayer magic and not be torn apart by them. Everything else is just experience talking. She is a SSS-Class capable of fighting on par with Gildarts after all.**

 **As always, I don't own Fairy Tail, or the Celestial Demons! The Celestial Demons belong to _fairytailcrossover_ and-**

 _ **Bill: Reality is an illusion!**_

 **BILL! Get the HELL out of my fic or I _will_ use the force!**

 _ **Bill: Nice try Angel Wing! I'm not doing - Wait, why do you have that - OH SHI-**_

 **(This transmission was cut short by loud crashes, lightsaber fighting, and explicit cursing.)**

* * *

 _Last time on_ **The Star of Fairy Tail;**

 _"You'll need to rest soon Vega." She said, a hard note in her voice. "You're already pushing yourself to the limits with five gates open and constently using your magic, and on top of that you were already hurt."_

 _"It's not that ba-" I tried to protest, before gasping in pain as I felt the muscles in my back seize and burn. My magic cut off abruptly as I lost focus, sending me hurdling towards the ground._

 _"Vega!" Rana yelled as she dove after me. As I blacked out I heard explosions and the cheers of the guild that turned into horrified gasps, and felt the wind biting into my skin and the sound of thunder echoing in my ears as I landed in someone's arms..._

* * *

 **Third Person POV:**

"Hey! Check it out! They blew it up!" Bisca yelled in excitement as she stood back-to-back with Alzack.

"Yeah they did!" Alzack yelled in response. "The Jupiter Cannon's been destroyed just in time!"

Everyone started celebrating as Rana and Vega's Comet Tails zipped across the sky...

...Until suddenly Vega's went dark and she started falling and their cheers turned into horrified gasps.

"She's not slowing down!" Cana yelled as she didn't slow down or pull up.

A strong gust of wind blew through the air as a clap of thunder accompanied by bolt of lightning struck the ground, and Vega landed in the arms of one of the men that appeared from the dust.

Laxus Dreyar and Aria of the Great Sky.

"Well, well, well." Laxus said, growling slightly in agitation from the scent of Vega's blood, and the reek of a foreign scent on her, even as he smirked. "Aria of the Element Four, pleasure to meet you face to face. But I'm afraid you've got my temporary Guild Master in your arms, so I'd appreciate it if you _put._ _her._ _ **down**_." His smirk disappeared into a snarl as Vega grimaced in pain unconsciously when Aria carelessly shifted her.

"Laxus Dreyar." Aira said back as he slung the unconscious Celestial Star Dragon Slayer over his shoulder. "The Grandson of Makarov. It's so sad, but I'm afraid I can't do that. Master Jose wants to speak with her as soon as possible about terms of surrender."

He disappeared into the wind as Laxus lunged forwards. "For your sake," Laxus growled. "I hope it's about the terms of your surrender, not ours."

The Lightning Mage looked up at the Phantom Guild Hall as the ground started shaking and the Phantom Soldiers swarmed towards the structure to regroup.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

I groaned as I came back around, my head pounding and my back searing with pain. "This better not be a reoccurring thing." I hissed as I tried to move, only to find myself chained to a stone chair. "Cause I'm gonna kill the next bastard I see if it is."

"Now now Miss Vega." Jose's voice said, making me look up at where the bastard was sitting on his throne. "I certainly hope you can keep your temper." My eyes narrowed into angry slits as he started laughing. "I would hate to have something happen because you couldn't control yourself." I tore my gaze away from him and examined my surroundings. Mages in dark purple robes and masks stood in front of Lacirma screens, controlling the movements of the Giant as it morphed and changed.

"Likewise Jose." I said, reigning in my temper to glare at him coldly. "But you must know by now that holding me as a hostage will only piss off my Guild even more." My lips quirked up into a vicious smirk as I heard explosions and war cries from outside. "I assume the speakers are on?" I asked, tilting my head innocently like a curious puppy. He nodded, no doubt trying to find my angle. "FAIRY TAIL!" I yelled before he could turn it off. "GIVE NO QUARTER! TAKE NO PRISONERS! KICK THEIR ASSES NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO ME! MAKE THEM PAY FOR SCREWING WITH A MEMBER OF THE STRONGEST GUILD IN FIORE!" I faintly heard the cheers that followed my statement, but the explosions and war cries increased in frequency and volume.

"Why you little!" Jose pressed a button on the arm of his throne, and a yellow magic circle appeared under my feet. My eyes widened in realization as small arcs of electricity crackled, before they jumped up and zapped me.

I relaxed, letting the familiar sensation of weak electrocution wash over me. Jose cut off the magic as I chuckled slightly. "Is that the best you can do?" I asked sarcastically as my lips quirked into a condescending smirk. Electricity crackled off of me as I started laughing at the look of shock on Jose's face. "Hahaha! That's a laugh! Laxus' lightning winded me at least! That was barely a bee sting in comparison!"

Jose just snarled at me and pressed a different button and another magic circle appeared under me. This one reeked of Air Magic...

...more specifically a Drain Spell.

"Jose," I said shortly as it activated. "You son of a-" I dropped off as I felt my magic starting to slip, and refocused my attention my fighting the spell and building a mental barrier against the pain. It felt like something was reaching into my very soul to tug out the core of my magic. Painful, but bearable at it's current level.

"You can't fight it forever." Jose's voice broke through and sneered condescendingly. "Eventually your strength will fail, and that famous unbreakable Will of the Dragon shall buckle under the pressure." I could hear him laughing as I went limp against the chains, bowing my head and pouring all of my energy into fighting the spell. "Your magical energy will make up the difference and fuel the Abyss Break as each of the Element Four are defeated! With every member defeated, the pressure from the spell will double until it is unbearable!"

I grit my teeth and tensed as the spell suddenly got stronger, the tugging pain turning into a tearing, before relaxing and taking in a deep breath to focus again. "Hm, it seems that Totomaru of the Great Flame has already fallen. I wonder how quickly the others will follow?" Jose asked himself as I stubbornly refused to make even the slightest sound.

I extended my senses as I focused, ignoring the constant strain of resisting as I tired to sense where my Guild mates were and if they were alright.

Elfman was the first one I sensed, as his emotions and magical energy were in complete chaos and practically throwing off a flair to my senses. He was fighting Sol of the Earth, probably the worst person for him to face because of Sol's tendency for mind games. Mira was second, not fighting as I expected, but grasped in-between the fingers of the Giant. Gray was steadily making his way towards where I could feel Juvia of the Great Sea's energy, and Natsu was on a collision course with Aria and Jellal, who were already battling with everything they had.

I smirked slightly to the confusion of Jose. "Your Element Four are struggling Jose." I said lowly, not bothering to lift my head even as the spells intensity increased again as Sol's signature went dark, signaling unconsciousness and the tearing escalated into a ripping. "Already two of them have fallen, and if I know my Guild, soon enough Aria and Juvia will follow." I could feel his angry gaze on me as I started chuckling, only to hiss in pain as the chains pulled tighter and dug into the slash on my back. "Do as you please." I challenged, my mocking smile returning as I felt Gray and Juvia clash while at the same time Natsu jumped into the fight between Jellal and Aria. "I can last all day like this, but I'm not so sure about your men." I raised my head just enough to look Jose in the eye as my eyes glowed in the low light. "You Phantom Jackasses never stood a chance."

* * *

 **Erik's POV:**

After Vega was taken, I got a very bad feeling that Lucy was in danger. "Go ahead Erik." Cana said as we stood back-to-back and blasted the hell out of the idiots in front of us. "I know you're worried about her. So go protect her."

"Are you sure?" I asked, even though I could hear that she was serious.

She nodded. "We've got more than enough people to fight! Now go!"

I nodded, and shot off one last attack before taking off running into town.

Loke apparently had the same feeling, because we met up about half way to the safe house. "Bad feeling?" I asked as we started running side by side.

He nodded in confirmation, and we sped up to a sprint.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

It was a few short minutes later that I felt Juvia's connection go dark, and the intensity of the spell ramped up yet again, this time to an almost agonizing level. My head shot up and my back arched as I grit my teeth and struggled to hold in the scream bubbling in my throat as it felt like someone was sticking and twisting a dozen knives into my soul in an attempt to cut away my magic.

I was vaguely aware of how Natsu and Jellal's magic flared and started to fade as Erza's joined in the fray, before suddenly Aira's connection was cut off as well, and I felt _it_.

The burning pain of my magic being drained as I kept struggling to resist.

My voice finally burst out in one long drawn out scream, before suddenly the spell was disrupted. I collapsed against the chains, panting heavily as I faintly registered the crackle of electricity in my ears. "What the hell, took you so long?" I ground out between ragged breaths.

"Hm." He grunted. "Took me awhile to search this place." Laxus answered in a huff. "We're up at the very top of the hall in the control room."

"No excuse." I muttered as my vision went blurry "You've got the...Lightning Body...spell..." I trailed off as my world went dark...

* * *

 **Erik's POV:**

Loke and I stopped for a moment as a large explosion rang out from the guild, and we saw the Giant collapse. "Guess they took out the Element Four." Loke said with a small grin as I nodded in agreement. "That'll show 'em!"

We whirled back around as an explosion went off behind us.

"Shit!" I growled.

Loke and I started climbed up and started running across rooftops until we stopped on the building next to the hideout. Just as Gajeel Redfox leapt out of a hole in the roof with an unconscious Lucy carried under one arm. "Why'd the Giant stop? What's goin' on?!" He growled, right as we leapt down and slammed into the roof behind him, kicking up a cloud of dust from the impact.

"Heck of a way to say hello!" He greeted sarcastically.

"What do ya think you're doin' with Lucy?" Loke drawled, his glasses glinting in the light. "If you don't let her go right now, you'll be sorry." He warned as I bared my teeth in a mockery of smile.

"That is," I said, the air around me starting to turn red with poison as I slowly got pissed off. " _If_ you live to see tomorrow..." I snarled.

"Oh really?" He said sarcastically as he dropped Lucy onto the roof. "Well, I like a good challenge." He said, baring his teeth at me. "So let's dance fairies!"

Loke jumped up as I darted forwards, one fist already leaking poison magic and aimed at his face. Gajeel dodged Loke's attacks, but couldn't avoid the uppercut to the jaw I had waiting for him. We dodged and launched physical attacks back and forth for a bit. _'_ _What is with these guys?'_ I head Gajeel think. _'_ _Something about the ring mage seems different. He's not some ordinary Holder Type_ _wizard chump. And this red haired guy, he's fighting like he knows what I'm thinking.'_

"That's because I do." I answered out loud. He started, caught off guard long enough for me to punch him down through the roof and grab Lucy. "I'm a Sound Mage." I yelled down, a smirk on my face as I shifted Lucy onto my shoulder. "I can hear every thought that goes through your brain, every movement you plan out in your subconciousness, and react accordingly."

"Then I'd better stop thinking." Gajeel's voice was my only warning as he suddenly popped back up. "So just who are you anyway?" He asked. "And why don't either of ya smell right?"

"What, don't know the scent of a Second Generation Dragon Slayer?" I mocked, a smirk on my face at the shocked realization on his face as he took a deep breath of my scent.

"I don't know whatcha' mean." Loke said, smirking at his confusion. "I got any complaints from the ladies." Suddenly, Loke's face contorted in pain as his form blurred. "Not now!" He muttered.

Gajeel took advantage of our brief distraction, and pounced, sending both of us through the roof to the room below.

"Guess I was wrong." Gajeel said, chuckling as we stared up at him. "You weren't much of a challenge after all. Hey, I'm hauling blondie back to the boss, you two take care of the lover boys."

"Got it." I looked up at the two grunts standing in front of us. **"** **Sound** **Blast, Disturb!"** I screamed in pain as the high pitched blast wreaked havoc on my senses. As I was distracted, the other Mage moved. **"Mirror Magic! Kaleidoscope!"** A mirror dome sprung up around Loke, trapping him in place as I curled in on myself, struggling to focus...

* * *

 **Third Person POV:**

"Damn it." Laxus growled as Vega went silent. He could still hear her heart beating and her breathing thankfully.

"Finally!" Jose muttered in irritation. "She's down for the count. Now I can _finally_..."

Laxus tuned the idiot out for the moment, and moved towards Vega who was a higher priority. Joes' scent wasn't even in the room after all. "You did good, holding out as long as you did." He whispered as he grabbed the chains and pulled, breaking them off of her with a swift yank and catching her as she slumped forwards. As his hand touched her back he felt something wet and he looked down to see the blood that covered it. "But you pushed yourself too far this time Vega..." He sighed as she unconsciously relaxed into his arms.

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!" Jose screamed, making the Lightning Dragon Slayer's attention flick back to him.

"Nope, I don't listen to idiots that are too cowardly face me for real." Laxus deadpanned as he started walking towards the exit with Vega in his arms. "And I got what I came for, I'm leaving."

"I don't believe it!" He heard Jose rant as he walked out. "My strongest wizards, the Element Four, were completely wiped out by that worthless Fairy Tail Scum?!"

Laxus froze in his tracks and stepped back into the shadows as a new scent appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "Guess that makes them even worse than scum huh?" A voice growled.

"Gajeel." Jose's voice said, sounding intrigued. "So you've returned bearing a gift have you?"

"Yeah, I pick you up a little somethin' while I was out." Laxus stiffened as he heard the thud of a body hitting the floor.

"Oh very impressive my boy!" Jose said, sounding impressed. "How were you able to track her down so quickly?"

"You should never underestimate the nose of a Dragon Slayer." Laxus had to bite his toung and swallow the challenging snarl that rose in his throat at the other male's declaration. It reminded him of something Vega had taught him and her younger brothers not long after she and Erik had joined the guild...

* * *

 _"Dragon instincts are powerful," She said, sitting before him, Natsu, and Erik as she spoke. "And from a young age there are three instincts that surface almost immediately. The urge to create and protect a horde." She looked over at Natsu, who was scratching his head in embarrassment as he recalled and incident with Gray stealing off of his plate during a meal. "The desire to fight and prove your strength to those stronger than you and establish a status." Erik and Natsu blushed brightly in embarrassment as Laxus and Vega chuckled. "And the drive to take, claim, and defend a territory of your own." Laxus nodded in understanding as she looked at him. "As the oldest male of our little group, and subsequently the Alpha for the time being as you are an older adolescent only a few years away from becoming an adult, you are more easily affected by the second and last, and have the additional fourth instinct to protect the weaker members of your brood," She motioned at all three of them. "A.k.a., all of us. At the moment, seeing as two of us are only hatchlings and I'm an adolescent female, you're gonna flip your shit if another powerful male Dragon Slayer comes into your territory, a.k.a. Fairy Tail and Magnolia, unannounced."_

 _She smirked evilly, sending chills down the boys spines. "Of course, those instincts change a little and get stronger as you get older..."_

* * *

Laxus shook his head, intent on dismissing the rest of that embarrassing memory for the moment, until he remembered the foreign scent on Vega...

...Well shit. No wonder he was struggling to hold himself back. That jackass was an intruder on _his turf_ and had _**hurt** one of **his!**_

"She is alive right?" Jose questioned. "Without a pulse she's worthless to us."

"Hm, I was pretty rough with her... LET'S SEE!" Laxus winced at the sound of a boot connecting with a body, the thud of a body hitting a wall, a gasp of pain that sounded like it came from a girl, and a couple strangled coughs. "Yup! She's still alive and kickin!" The other Dragon Slayer said with a cruel laugh.

"Excellently done Gajeel!" Jose said. Laxus could just imagine the sick grin that was probably on the rival guild master's face. "I knew I could count on you!" Seconds later, the speakers blared out again. _**"Attention you pathetic Fairy Tail worms. Listen carefully cause I'll only say this onc** **e!** **"**_ A loud drawn out scream of pain rang out. _**"We have captured your precious Lucy Heartfilia, which means our first order of business is now out of the way. And that leaves us with just one more thing, my favorite part, Wiping all of you miserable brats off the face of the earth!"**_

Gritting his teeth, Laxus flashed away, leaving the control room behind...

* * *

 **Erik's POV:**

I shot to my feet as a familiar scream broke through the spell and registered on my senses.

"Lucy." I whispered, before a snarl ripped from my throat and I took off at a dead sprint as something inside me **snapped**.

A familiar hissing roar along with a loud boom sounded behind me, and I jumped up as Cubellios swooped in low, landing on her back as she broke the sound barrier in her rush to get to the Guild Hall...

* * *

 **Lucy's POV:**

I yelped in pain as Gajeel slammed me into a wall and let me drop to the floor.

"You gotta sing better than that!" I heard through the haze of pain. "To bad, your heart's just not in it."

"Gajeel, hey, hasn't she had enough?" A new voice broke through. Someone was defending me? "Besides the master said he doesn't want her gettin' hurt or nothin'."

"But what else am I supposed to do?" Gajeel shot back sarcastically. "I can't believe he's doin' this! He leaves me to watch over blondie here, while he gets to have all the fun!" I heard him take a few steps towards me. "Anyway, I'm just playin' with my new toy."

"Yeah, but..." The new voice said hesitantly. "If the master catches you doin' this we're all gonna be in trouble." I flinched as I heard the sound of something impacting flesh.

"Shut up." Gajeel growled. "I know master thinks she's important but she's just a piece of Fairy Scum to me. Huh, even if she's a girl she's still a wizard. She should have known what she was gettin' into when she joined the guild."

"You're takin' this way too far man!" Another voice said. "Let it go!"

"Master's gonna loose it." A female voice sighed. "Isn't he?"

"Well then I'll tell him it was all your idea!" Gajeel laughed.

"Please don't do that." Both voices deadpanned.

"Aww, I kinda feel sorry for her." He said, turning back to me as I tried to struggle to my feet. "Her fellow guild members didn't even want her back 'till the found out her old man's loaded."

I smiled and chuckled softly as I managed to get a hold on the wall. "Geeze you're dumb." I rasped. "I can barely even believe it. It's just sad, I actually feel sorry for you."

"Oh what?" Gajeel asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Did she really just say that?!" I heard the male voice from before whisper.

"This chick's talkin' smack to Gajeel?!"

"Phantom Lord huh? Ruler of the Spirits? Oh please, you don't scare me at all." I lifted my head, giving him a furious glare as I my brown eyes met his red.

"You shouldn't have said that." He growled, before slamming an Iron Fist into my stomach and slamming me against the wall. "It takes some nerve ta go runnin' your mouth in a situation like this princess. I gotta admit, you've got guts." He retracted the fist, letting me drop to the floor as I gasped in pain. "Make some noise!" He barked. "But not this trash talkin' act you're puttin' on! I want screams! And If I don't start gettin' what I want you're gonna be sorry!"

"Then why don't you just go ahead and do it!" I challenged. "Finish me! Then you're gonna be sorry! Just you wait!"

"Yeah?" He asked, giving me a fang filled smirk. "Who's gonna make me? I'm curious!"

"Fairy Tail." I rasped, looking up at him as my eyes turned cold. "They'd never let you get away with this! They'd take revenge. They'll never stop, and if I were you, I'd be watching my back from now on, cause the world's scariest guild will be after you, **as long as you live!"** I ended in a yell.

"So they're gonna come after me huh?" He asked rhetorically. "Sounds like **fun**!" He lunged forwards, and I sat frozen in anticipation for the blow...

...before the stone floor in front of me cracked open in a torrent of fire and the window above me shattered in a spray of glass, and two figures appeared in front of me, knocking Gajeel back as they roared in defiance.

"It's Erik and Natsu." I whispered in relief.

Erik and Natsu, both raging and emitting their elements. Natsu was in the center of a phoenix make of fire that had it's wings extended mid flight, while a large cobra made of poison was reared up, hood open, and poised to strike was coiled around Erik.

 **"GAJEEL!"**


	56. Two Dragon Slayers

**I'm gonna reiterate one last time. Vega is mine, as are Bella, Dante, and Chui. I don't own anything else.**

* * *

 _Previously on **The Star of Fairy Tai** **l;**_

 _ **L** **ucy's POV:**_

 _"So they're gonna come after me huh?" He asked rhetorically. "Sounds like **fun**!" He lunged forwards, and I sat frozen in anticipation for the blow..._

 _...before the stone in front of me cracked open in a torrent of fire and the window above me shattered in a spray of glass, and two figures appeared in front of me, knocking Gajeel back as they roared in defiance._

 _"It's Erik and Natsu." I whispered in relief._

 _Erik and Natsu, both raging and emitting their elements. Natsu was in the center of a phoenix make of fire that had it's wings extended mid flight, while a large snake made of poison was reared up and ready to strike around Erik._

 _ **"GAJEEL!"**_

* * *

 **Erik's POV:**

Gajeel was laughing as Natsu and I stood between him and Lucy. "Guess it ain't too hard to catch a Salamander, or a Cobra for that matter, if you use the right bait." He sneered. I twitched in irritation, my magic flaring even higher in response to the threat as he kept laughing. Taking in a deep breath, I forced myself to build a mental block around my Sound Magic, cutting off even the slightest whisper for surface thoughts. I couldn't afford any distractions in this fight.

"Unlike you Phantom Creeps, I watch out for my friends! I won't let you lay a hand on her!" Natsu growled stalking forwards until I flung a hand out in front of him.

"Natsu, protect Lucy." I ordered, my voice cold with rage as I kept my eyes on the Iron Dragon Slayer. Natsu turned to me and opened his mouth to protest, only to stop short with wide eyes at the look on my face. "That's an order. This asshole is _**mine**_." I growled lowly as my eyes flared blood red.

Natsu nodded, and back up slightly. "Stay back Lucy, this is gonna get ugly." I heard him warn softly as I lunged forwards.

"Gajeel..." One of the Phantom Assess tried to warn.

"This one's mine!" Gajeel yelled as he lunged to meet me.

"BRING IT ON YOU BASTARD!" I roared in response my fist already covered in red and black poison.

One of his arms transformed into a long iron club and he swung it at me, but I dodged and caught the appendage, reversing the momentum to fling him into a nearby wall. He landed feet first however, and just barely brought up his arm to block the punch I had ready for him.

The impact sent up a cloud of dust and smoke, sending the other Phantom Lord goonies flying. "We gotta get outta here!" They all yelped.

In the confusion, Gajeel managed to break away, but I wasn't far behind him. I smiled sadistically at the surprise on his face as I punched him and sent him flying into the opposite wall.

" **Poison Dragon's Talon!** " My leg coated itself in poison as I brought it down in an ax kick that Gajeel barely blocked. He pushed me off, launching me to the ground.

* * *

 **Lucy's POV:**

"Oh wow…." I whispered, completely in awe of the sheer power.

"Are you alright?" Natsu asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up at him and nodded as Happy and Bella scampered up and Cubellios slithered up and curled around my arm in her smaller form.

"Is something wrong?" Happy asked, looking at me intently.

I turned my eyes back to the fight as Erik stalked out of the dust, his usually warm violet eye glowing blood red just beneath his furrowed brow and barred teeth. "No it's just…. I've never seen Erik like this."

"I've only seen him like this once before." Bella said, watching her partner with wary eyes as he and Gajeel squared off again. "Back when we younger and Vega got badly hurt on a job."

"He's completely pissed." Natsu said softly.

"I wouldn't wanna be that other guy." Happy commented with a smile as I gulped nervously.

Gajeel cracked his neck as they stared each other down. "For being Fairy scum you sure are cocky."

Erik didn't visibly react beyond coating his fists in poison again. "You're the scum here asshole, and it's not being cocky if you're just that good." He replied, his tone dead and vengeful as the poison on his fists slowly turned acid green. "For everything you've done to Lucy, and for everything you've done to my guild." I took a sharp breath as his face split into a feral grin and his eyes narrowed into slits and glowed with power. _**"I'm gonna melt you**_ _ **r**_ _ **ugly**_ _ **fucking**_ _ **face off!"**_

"Sounds like fun!" Gajeel said, grinning psychotically. "So give it a shot!" They two men leapt at each other, clashing and trading blows in a terrifying display of anger.

Erik managed to kick Gajeel under the chin, sending the larger Iron Dragon Slayer reeling before he collected his senses and shot an **Iron** **Dragon's** **Club** at the Poison Dragon Slayer. Erik flipped over it, using it as a springboard the kick Gajeel in the face again before the Iron Dragon Slayer whipped his arm around, changing the shape as he swung at him.

Nimbly, Erik dodged and landed back on his feet in a half-crouch. "That's a pretty nasty looking blade you've got." He commented, watching the spiked limb warily.

Gajeel huffed in amusement. "This is the **Iron Dragon's Sword.** " He said as it started to buzz like a chain saw. "Anything it touches is cut to shreds. I though I'd give you an up close and personal demonstration!"

"Oooh I'm so scared." Erik deadpanned before his mouth twitched into a fanged smirk. "Bring it on Iron Ass!"

"How is he doing that?!" I muttered in shock.

"It's Iron Dragon Slayer Magic." Bella said softly.

Erik flipped of the way as Gajeel lunged forwards and brought the sword down on the place he had been standing. When the Sword connected with the floor, it ripped it apart and shattered the stone on impact.

The Phantom Lord Mages that had stuck around to watch dove out of the path of the shock wave. "We seriously gotta get outta here!"

"Come on!" The Iron Dragon Slayer taunted as Erik dodged and flipped around his strikes. "Not so cocky now are ya kid?! Huh! I think you're scared!" Erik smiled as he back flipped out of range. "I'll give you credit for bein' such a nimble little Fairy."

"You're no slouch yourself." Erik commented.

"But we've still got a score to settle from the other day." Gajeel continued, grinning insanely as his spell faded. "No time like the present, wouldn't you agree?!"

"That's where you're wrong." Erik said matter-of-factually, making the older Slayer's grin fade into a look of confusion. Erik smirked as he brushed away the thin stream of blood dripping from the corner of his mouth with a clawed thumb. "Your slight earlier this week wasn't against me. **Alpha** however," Erik hissed in mock sympathy as Gajeel balked. "Ohhh, she's royally **pissed** that you hung around after her warning, and she's gonna be taking her revenge as soon as she's back to 100%." Erik's face went serious again. "As for why I'm fighting now..." He dropped into a fighting stance as his eyes glowed even brighter. "Well, that little tidbit I'm keeping to myself for the time being Rivet Face. You aren't a member of my brood so it's really none of your business."

' _As Dragon Slayers they both have the ability to take on the mythical creature's powers.'_ I thought nervously as I watched the two of them stare each other down. _'Which means that two of the wizards strong enough to slay dragons are about to duke it out right in front of me! I don't like where this is going!'_

* * *

 **Third Person POV:**

Gajeel tapped his foot on the ground and a Magic Circle sprung up underneath him as his skin turned darker and metallic, also gaining a scale-like pattern. "ARE YA READY FAIRY?!" He yelled.

"He's changing!" Lucy gasped.

"Dragon scales!" Happy said.

Natsu paled at what it could mean. "Bella is that-?"

"No." She said, cutting off his question as Gajeel lunged forwards and Erik attempted to block the punch. "This is something different."

" **Iron Dragon** **Hard** **Fist!** " Erik winced slightly as the blow connected and slid back a few feet from the impact before falling to one knee. "You must be stronger than I thought!" Gajeel chuckled as he walked forwards to loom over Erik as the Poison Slayer tried to work some feeling back into his numb limb. "Anyone else would have been blasted into the wall!"

"He nearly took Erik down with just one hit." Lucy muttered.

"That's cause those scales on his fist are made of steel." Happy said as Erik drove an acid covered knee into his face.

Gajeel didn't wait before delivering a devastating uppercut to Erik's chin and following with a right hook that sent Erik flying back a few feet. Erik landed on his feet however, and ducked under the kick that Gajeel had aimed at his head. The same kick threw out a wave of air that smashed through the stone floor and sent a cloud of dust into the air.

"Is there really that much wind coming from his kick?!" Lucy yelled, using her hands to keep her skirt from flying up as Bella braced herself by hanging onto her leg.

"His attacks are twice as strong now that he's covered in those dragon scales!" Happy yelled back as he hung onto his partner's clothes for dear life.

"Good news for him, bad news for Erik." Natsu added as he flung up an arm to block the dust from his eyes.

Erik popped up from the ground again and punched Gajeel in the face as hard as he could, and winced and gasped in pain as Gajeel didn't even flinch.

"Poor little Fairy. That had to hurt, huh?" Gajeel teased as Erik slowly drew his hand away and grit his teeth to keep from making a sound. "Hate to break it to ya, but your puny hand can't even scratch this steel!"

"You know," Erik said softly, the hitched chuckle in his voice catching the Iron Slayer's attention. "It's kinda funny actually." He glance back up at him, his violet eyes glinting with amusement and pain. "You really haven't noticed it yet?"

"Cut the act punk!" The Iron Slayer growled back, head-butting him into the floor. "You just don't want your friends to see you cry like a baby!" Erik dodged out of the way as Gajeel threw another punch, making it connect with the floor instead.

"Alright then you walking scrap heap!" Erik growled back, grinning almost psychotically at the challenge. "No more holding back!" Poison flared around him as Erik brought one hand up to his face and his cheeks bulged. " **Poison Dragon'** **s** **-** "

Gajeel smirked in response before his own cheeks bulged and he brought up both his hands. " **Iron Dragon'** **s** **-** "

"What?!" Lucy yelled.

"He's got a breath attack like Natsu!" Happy yelled.

"Oh no fair!" Natsu complained.

" **Roar!"** Both Dragon Slayers yelled. A cloud of poison and a cyclone of Iron met in a chaotic clash before it exploded, blasting everyone back and blowing a hole in the wall.

As the dust settled down, the Phantom Lord members and the Fairy Tail Mages were scattered across the floor. Natsu had managed to hook his arm around Lucy, taking Erik's order to protect her seriously as he shielded her from the worst of the blast. Happy and Bella had ducked in between them, and thankfully none of them were hurt. "You okay?" Natsu asked.

Lucy nodded as the Phantom Lord Wizards groaned.

"Told you we should've run." A male wizard groaned.

"I never said we shouldn't." A female wizard shot back.

"Looks like there are some pretty big differences between Poison and Iron Dragons, aren't there Cobra?" Gajeel taunted as he stood strong. "You can shower me with poison attacks until you're runnin' on fumes, but it's not gonna crack my armor!" Erik watched him with angry eyes as he grabbed the rapidly darkening bruise on his left arm. "On the other hand just one of my iron blade breath attacks can rip your puny body to shreds!"

"Erik…." Lucy whispered.

"Come on, you can take him." Happy said fiercely as Bella frowned.

"Show that creep who's boss." Natsu growled.

Erik just looked at him for a second, before smirking in victory. "I can't crack your armor huh? You sure you aren't feeling a burn or a breeze buddy?" As soon as the words left his mouth, a crack appeared on Gajeel's face along with a cloud of smoke. Gajeel slapped a hand on it with wide eyes as Erik continued. "Look man, I don't just breath regular poison." Erik shrugged out of his white trench coat and tossed it aside, revealing his skin-tight black muscle shirt and well muscled arms underneath. " _The Poison Dragon's Roar can melt anything it touches_!" A dark red spell circle appeared under is feet as poison flared around him. His fangs lengthened as dark purple and white scales appeared on his arms and his nails lengthened into claws. His smirk turned demonic as his glowing pupils disappeared into white. "I stand by what I said earlier! It's time we started the real fight! No more playing around Black Steel!"

Gajeel smirked in response. "Let's GO!" He challenged as his own magic started flaring around him in response.

"Woah, they're gettin' serious."

"They were just playin' around before?!"

"They some kinda monsters?"

"Yup." Happy said matter-of-factually. "They're both Dragon Slayers alright."

"They're amazing." Lucy breathed.

Bella shook her head in exasperation. "Hard headed, territorial, testosterone driven alpha males." She sighed. "Vega is going to be _pissed_ once she hears about this…."

"The sky's not big enough for two Alpha Dragons Kid!" Gajeel snarled in challenge. "So I'm just gonna have ta take you down Cobra."

"Don't make me laugh!" Erik said with a smirk. "My sister is more of an Alpha then you will ever be! Hit me with your best shot Black Steel!" Erik goaded fiercely. "I CAN TAKE ANYTHING YOU DISH OUT!"

* * *

 **Meanwhile, Outside:**

Laxus' lightning crashed into the ground with a roar of thunder, drawing everyone's shocked attention in an instant. But they were more concerned with the one in his arms.

"It's Laxus!"

"He's got Vega!"

"She's alive!"

"Oh thank the gods!"

Laxus ignored them all as he started running towards his team. "Freed! We need your runes! That jackass Jose hurt her pretty badly."

Freed skidded to a stop next to him, looking over the Celestial Dragon Slayer with a critical eye as Laxus carefully lowered her to the ground. His normally stoic expression darkened with rage as he kept looking, before he looked up at Laxus with calculating blue eyes. "Did you get a look at the spell he hit her with?"

Laxus nodded. "Looked like a Drain Spell."

Freed cursed under his breath as he unsheathed his sword and started writing the runes at a frantic pace. "Let me through! I can help!" A female voice all but snarled from the crowd.

People rapidly parted as Rana pushed her way though and raced to her friend's side. She looked over her friend briefly as Freed finished the Heal Runes and cast them on Vega, healing the small damage. "Damn it, Freed that isn't going to be strong enough!" She said as her younger brother looked at her in shock.

Ignoring him for the moment, Rana lit up her hands with black and green energy and hovered them over Vega's body. "Step back. **One Magic: Hea** **l** **ing Spell!** " Everyone's eyes blew wide as all of Vega's major injuries started to disappear, even the blood soaking her clothes started vanishing.

Vega's eyes snapped open, glowing with the same light that was healing her as she gasped in pain. After a minute however, they lost the glow and rolled back into her head as she passed out again. Rana sighed in defeat. "Even with my spells, she's exhausted from using so much magic and having nearly all the rest pulled out." She looked up at Laxus, who was still hovering near, with blue eyes as cold as glaciers. "You need to get her out of here! One more hit and she's done for!"

Laxus nodded and picked her up again. "I'm taking her to Porlyusica." He said at their questioning looks. "If anyone can fix Vega up, it's her."

Rana nodded her approval, and Laxus took off just as the Phantoms started merging together, forming a large dark mass.

"That thing's got creepy dark hands everywhere!" Laki said nervously.

Kage, who was standing back to back with her, scanned it with a wary eye. "You said it babe."

"That's the least of our worries." Wakaba said.

"Yeah this is bad." Macao added.

The black blob reared back and drove it's fists into the guild hall, breaking it down piece by piece.

"That monster is trying to tear down our Guild Hall!" Cana yelled.

"Shoot it down!"

"Kill it!"

Magic circles lit up all around it as the mages desperately tried to bring it down. The blob didn't react to any of their efforts however, and just continued trying to break down the Guild Hall.

* * *

 **Back inside:**

Both Slayers dropped into fighting stances, and at an unseen signal, they lunged, meeting in an explosion of steel, poison, and dust.

There was a split second of the two of them straining against one another, before they both shot into the sky.

"Did they really just do that?"

"They're flying…."

The two of them were just pin pricks in the sky as they traded blows so fast it sounded and looked like fireworks high above everyone else.

"Woah, what's happening up there?"

"Fireworks?" Lucy questioned softly.

The two of them broke apart again as they started loosing altitude, landing on opposite side of the roof of Phantom's guild hall. Each took a quick breath, before lunging forwards again to butt heads and resume the melee.

"What the…?"

"He's actually keeping up with the boss."

"That's crazy."

Erik brought up his leg and kicked Gajeel under the chin, and Gajeel responded with a left hook to Erik's jaw along with a quick slash downwards with his steel claws. Erik gasped in pain as the claws raked down his chest, tearing the front of his shirt to ribbons and leaving five bleeding cuts, but quickly recovered and blocked another punch from Gajeel as they landed on one of Giant's spikes.

The two of them kept exchanging blows, right up until they each threw and blocked a kick and the force from them connecting shattered the ground under their feet.

The onlookers scattered as the spike came crashing down, bringing the two combatants with it.

Gajeel and Erik just stopped for a moment, Gajeel falling to one knee as Erik stood slightly hunched over.

"Is that kid BEATING Gajeel?"

"No, look. Cobra's outta breath too."

Erik froze as Gajeel scooped up a handful of the scrap iron littering the floor. "Eating at a time like this?" He taunted, a smirk on his face as Gajeel ignored him. "Well, guess I can't fault you, I'm a little peckish myself. Cubellios!" The snake familiar unwrapped herself from Lucy's arm and slithered over to her master, growing to the size of a python and hissing in approval as he scooped her up and settled her on his shoulders. The little snake already knew what he wanted, and opened her mouth to briefly show off her gleaming inch long fangs that were already dripping….

….and biting down on his exposed neck.

"What the hell?!"

"He really just let Cubellios bite him?!" Lucy asked as Erik's magic surged and exploded outwards right as Gajeel's did. "Wait a minute where did they get all this energy from?!" She said panicking as Cubellios slipped off her master's shoulders and slithered back towards her. Erik's entire body seemed to relax and unwind, like he had just had a glass of strong alcohol, a slightly dazed smile even crept onto his face as he took in a deep breath and released it slowly. Across from him, Gajeel's magic flared as well.

"It's because Cubellios bit Erik and Gajeel ate all that iron. When Dragon Slayers eat their element they replenish their magic energy and increase their power!" Happy said.

"But Erik didn't eat the poison!" Lucy said.

Bella nodded. "Erik is a special case, the poison only needs to be in his body for it to work!"

"Say goodnight Fairy!" Gajeel said as he cut off his surge abruptly and leveled his arm at Erik. " **Iron Dragon Lance: Demon Logs!** " A magic circle sprung up from his finger tips, and suddenly Erik was bombarded by hundreds of iron spears. The Poison Dragon Slayer made no attempt to dodge however, and just stood unmoving as he was hit time after time, driving him back towards the hole in the wall and kicking up a cloud of dust in the process. Gajeel didn't let up on the spell as the dust obscured Erik completely.

No one could hear anything, or see anything from within it, and suddenly it hit them like a brick….

….Erik might not walk away from this one.

"Guess that ego of his was all for show! What a joke!" Gajeel said, letting out a cruel laugh as he turned and started stalking towards the remaining Fairies, ready to finish what he started.

Lucy slapped a hand over her mouth, desperately trying to keep the sobs building in her throat from escaping as tears rolled down her face.

Happy's face fell in despair as Bella stared in disbelief.

Natsu was clenching his fists as he stepped in front of Lucy ready to pick up the fight where his brother left off….

….right as a voice rang out.

"Guess again Black Steel!"

Everyone's heads whipped around towards where the dust was finally beginning to settle, revealing a silhouette that had their breaths hitching in their throats….

...Erik was still standing.

Erik's grin was razor sharp as the last pieces of what remained of his muscle shirt fell to the ground. "That was my favorite shirt." He commented, never loosing that unnerving grin as he started walking forwards. Gajeel took a hesitant step back, and then another, and another as the Poison Dragon Slayer's magic started to flare around him. "Gotta hand it to you Black Steel, it's been a **long** time since I've found someone of your caliber to fight. Your attack even made it through my Acid Defense, impressive work." He cracked his neck from side to side as kept walking forwards, his face suddenly lost the grin however. "But I'm afraid it's time to end this."

As the last words left his mouth, Erik _moved_ _,_ and in the blink of an eye he was burying a fist in Gajeel's stomach, despite the steel scales. Gajeel hunched over as he grabbed his stomach, leaving himself open. Erik happily took advantage and grabbed the Iron Slayer's hair to hold him still for the few seconds it took to drive a knee into his face.

"See this is what happens when you severely piss off a dragon." He said casually as Gajeel stumbled back and fell on his ass. Erik's face turned demonic for a split second. "We fuck you up." He punched the Iron Slayer again, driving him face first into the ground to break the stone and iron underneath.

Barely a second later though, Erik froze as the sounds of destruction filtered in. "Looks like we're doin' some redecorating!" Gajeel laughed as he staggered to his feet. Erik whirled around just in time to see the Guild Hall collapse.

"No." He whispered as it caved in on itself and he lost himself in the flashbacks...

* * *

 _"So why is it called Fairy Tail?" Erik asked curiously as Vega prepared for her fight with Laxus._

 _"It's something our First Master came up with." Makarov said with a smile. "You see, nobody knows whether or not fairies have tails, or if they even exist, so it'll forever be a mystery. Unless we try to find out, which could become an amazing adventure, and our members are the ones who would want to find out."_

 _"I don't completely understand." Erik said with a_ _n_ _excited_ _s_ _mile_ _. "But I can't wait to find out!"_

* * *

 _Erik threw his head back and laughed as Natsu and Gray got into another fight before Erza punched them into a wall. Vega smiled at the two of them, before walking over and peeling them out of the craters they left. "Alright you two that's enough for today." She said as she picked them up off the floor. "If you've got the energy to fight, you've got the energy to train."_

 _Both boys groaned as she marched them outside, making Erik laugh even harder._

* * *

The guild's flag fluttered to the ground as Erik's eyes widened in horror. The memories flew faster...

* * *

 _Erik laughed slightly as Vega helped Natsu struggle through a word he didn't know. "_ _It's alright Natsu." She said ruffling his hair slightly as he got frustrated. "Reading and writing is pretty hard, but once you learn how it becomes second nature."_

 _The Exceed's eggs hatching as everyone watched in awe, and the joy he felt as Belladonna curled up around his neck with a mew of happiness._

 _Wrapping an arm around Natsu as he mourned Lisanna._

 _Gramp's speech the day he met Lucy for the first time._

 _Lucy bursting into tears as she buried her face into his back._

* * *

Erik hung his head in sorrow for a moment, before Gajeel punched him clear across the room.

"Your guild hall's in shambles." The Iron Slayer crowed as Erik shot back to his feet with a snarl. "How's it feel ta lose?"

"Wouldn't know." Erik said, brushing a thin stream of blood away from his nose. "I haven't lost a serious fight in a long time."

Gajeel seemed to take offense to that, and rushed forwards to punch him again, only to catch a left uppercut right to the jaw and get flung back into a wall. The force from his impact rocked the entire structure.

"Levy, Jet, Droy, Lucy, Gramps, Vega, Bella, Dante, all my friends, my family, my guild. Fairy Tail!" Erik said as Gajeel dropped to the floor.

" **Iron Dragon Roar!** " Gajeel sent another roar towards him as Erik dropped into a stance and brought up his arms to block. The glow of his eyes grew brighter for a split second as it connected. After a moment, the blast dissipated, revealing that Erik was still on his feet. "He deflected my breath attack." Gajeel said, gaping slightly. "And he did it with just his bare hands?!"

Erik straightened up to his full height and started stalking forwards. "I don't know how many people you need to hurt before you're satisfied, but it ends **now**!"

"There's no way…." Gajeel started muttering. "I can't loose to him! It's impossible! He's nothin' but Fairy scum!"

Erik's face twisted into a snarl as poison surrounded him and _something else_ blasted out with his voice. " **I'm gonna make you _pay_ for hurting them! Messing with Fairy Tail was the BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU EVER MADE!** "


	57. Fairy Law

**Hey guys, sorry it's a bit late! I just haven't had the time to work on it lately!**

 **As always, I don't own Fairy Tail! But Vega, Bella, and Dante belong to me.**

* * *

Previously on **_The Star of Fairy Tail:_**

 _" **Iron Dragon Roar!** " Gajeel sent another roar towards him as Erik dropped into a stance and brought up his arms to block. The glow of his eyes grew brighter for a split second as it connected. After a moment, the blast dissipated, revealing that Erik was still on his feet. "He deflected my breath attack." Gajeel said, gaping slightly. "And he did it with just his bare hands?!"_

 _Erik straightened up to his full height and started stalking forwards. "I don't know how many people you need to hurt before you're satisfied, but it ends **now**!"_

" _There's no way…." Gajeel started muttering. "I can't loose to him! It's impossible! He's nothin' but Fairy scum!"_

 _Erik's face twisted into a snarl as poison surrounded him and something else blasted out with his voice. " **I'm gonna make you pay for hurting them! Messing with Fairy Tail was the BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU EVER MADE!** "_

* * *

Gajeel huffed in challenge. "The only mistake I made was not killin' you sooner!" His magic flared around him as he leapt into the air. " **Iron Dragon Hard Fist!** "

Erik didn't even blink as he brought up his own punch to counter, and they connected in a shower of sparks and a torrent of poison.

Gajeel's eyes blew wide as his armor cracked and smoked all along his arm. ' _No, it can't be!'_ He thought franticly. _'I'm the strongest!'_

If Erik heard his thoughts, he wasn't saying anything as his face went blank. " **Poison Dragon's** **Acid Fist!** " His hand coated itself over in poison before turning toxic green. "It's over Black Steel." He said before he landed a lightning fast uppercut to Gajeel's jaw without holding back any strength at all, sending the Iron Slayer flying back, breaking the head off of the Giant, and causing most of the structure to start caving in on itself.

Bella and Happy grabbed Natsu and Lucy and took to the skies as the ceiling collapsed.

"I can't believe this is happening!" One of the Phantom grunts said, shock clear as day in his voice.

"Gajeel's never lost a fight!"

"Where is he?!" Lucy questioned almost franticly.

"I don't know!" Natsu said back. "ERIK!" He yelled out.

"ERIK!" The rest of them started yelling along with him.

"There he is!" Bella said as they swooped in low. "And it seems that this fight is over."

Erik was standing on a ledge above Gajeel, bruised, battered, and exhausted, but standing. Gajeel on the other hand was laid out across the rubble, beaten down and unconscious.

"Alright! It looks like he won!" Happy said.

"You can't defeat me..." Gajeel groaned, coming around briefly before falling unconscious again.

"Really? Cause it looks like I just did." Erik shot back as he fell backwards.

"He's down!" Lucy yelped as they swooped in low.

"Erik?! You okay?!" Natsu asked.

"Yeah." Erik groaned before shooting them a fanged grin. "But I'm gonna be sore tomorrow!"

"Oh man." Lucy said, looking around at the destruction. "Talk about overdoing it!"

"Aye! That's our guild for ya!" Happy said with a laugh.

Bella shook her head in exasperation as a fond smile lit up her face. "Males."

 _'Destructive as always, but it's still pretty cool.'_ Lucy thought fondly as Cubellios unwound from her arm and flew down to her partner.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

I groaned I came around again, this time thankfully not chained to a stone chair, but in a soft bed that I recognized. I moved to sit up, but hissed from the pain that flared up almost immediately and laid back down.

"Glad to see you still have some amount of sense." Porlyusica said as she walked in the door. "You've put your magic under enormous amounts of stress and if it hadn't been for your annoying friend Rana you would have almost certainly died!" I hung my head as she continued admonishing me for my actions. "You're equally lucky that Laxus got you here as quickly as he did!"

"Well what was I supposed to do?!" I snapped back, ignoring the pain long enough to sit up and glare. "Sit back like a good little hatchling and let Jose kill everyone?!" Porlyusica reared back as I continued. "Fairy Tail is my home, my family, my friends, my territory to protect and defend! If I can't protect them from men like that then what kind of Alpha am I to my Brood?" My voice lost it's bite as I hung my head again.

"One that is still young." Porlyusica said, sitting down next to me. "One that is still learning. Vega, no one, not even the other members of your brood, expect you to be perfect, you've just barely become an adult by dragon standards after all. Frankly I'm amazed that you managed to last this long without breaking down from the stress! And furthermore-" Porlyusica's speech was cut off as the wind and thunder roared outside.

We turned to the window, only to see the clouds that had been lazily dotted across the sky had converged on Magnolia. " _By the gods_." I breathed as magic energy surged to incredible levels before surging even higher.

Porlyusica walked outside as I moved to get a better look at what was going on out the window. "I can feel their fear." Porlyusica muttered softly, almost too softly for me to catch. "The trees, the earth, the air. This is exactly why I HATE HUMANS!" I clapped my hands over my ears as the pinkette exploded with fury. "THEY HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO SOLVE A PROBLEM WITHOUT RAISIN' THEIR FISTS!" She swung her broom, knocking around the various supply crates that were sitting in her yard. YOU'RE A NITWIT MAKAROV! I TRIED TO WARN YA BUT OF COURSE YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME!"

She was broken out of her rant when she spotted the darkly clothed figure that was watching her with amusement from the base of a nearby tree. "Mystogan." She muttered.

"Mind if I have this?" He asked as he picked up an apple that had rolled to his feet during her rant.

"Hm," Porlyusica huffed. "I wondered how the old geezer recovered so quickly. Now it all makes sense. When Makarov was hit by the drain spell you gathered his lost magic."

Mystogan seemingly ignored her and took a bite of the apple anyway. "I NEVER SAID YOU COULD EAT THAT!" Porlyusica yelled.

"This war will be over soon." He drawled in a monotone.

"I'm not a proponent of any sort of violence." Porlyusica shot back. "Even between loathsome humans. That being said, aren't you one of Makarov's men? Do waste your time here, your allies need your help." The healer and I froze and tensed up as a strong winds blew through, carrying with it dozens of flags.

Every single one of them were stamped with the symbol of Phantom Lord.

"By the gods." I whispered as the fluttered on the breeze. "There has to be a flag for every branch of Phantom Lord in the kingdom! I knew Mystogan was powerful, but this is unprecedented! I may have to challenge him to another fight soon." I muttered as I looked at the holder-type mage with new appreciation. "Who knows how strong he's gotten since the last time we clashed."

Mystogan didn't react to our shock however, and just walked up to Porlyusica. "May I take another apple for the road?" He asked politely.

Porlyusica nodded her permission. "You are going to pick up this mess you made before you go right?" She asked as he picked up one. "Honestly, I'll never understand humans. They thirst for power and find themselves at war, they forget how much pain and sorrow it can bring. All that matters is their victory."

Mystogan just took a bite of the apple. "I believe there is a way to save them from that pain and sorrow." He looked up a the sky. "It's a sacred light which guides us all."

A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as Mystogan walked away, and strength surged back into my body. "Thank you, Mystogan." I whispered, knowing that he could hear me. He looked up at my window, and his piercing dark brown eyes met my own for a brief moment before he nodded shortly and started walking away.

I sat up and started towards the door as my healing kicked in, right before a large amount of magic spiked in the distance and shook the very ground I stood on.

* * *

 **Erik's POV:**

"Woah!" I yelped as the ground shook and the ledge below me was destroyed. I landed on the rubble hard and hissed as it aggravated a few of the slashes Gajeel managed to land on my back.

"Erik!" Lucy yelled. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I said, sitting up and rubbing the back of my head as Cubellios slithered back into my lap.

"What the heck is going on in there?!" Happy asked, looking up towards the Giant again.

I chuckled, making Lucy's eyes widen as Natsu joined in with me. "Sounds like Gramps is settling the score!"

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

I took in a deep calming breath as the magic spiked even higher, and started flaring my own alongside it, preparing the spell I could sense Gramps getting ready to use. I whispered the incantation that I had only had to use twice in my life for a third time.

 _ **"Gather, O light of justice within the fairies great heart."**_

Gramp's magic reached out to mine, and I closed my eyes and didn't resist as it connected, reveling in the warmth and protection that his magic always inspired. Under that, I could sense the rage and irritation in his mind as Jose ranted on and nearly let out a chuckle at the Phantom Lord Master's arrogance. He wouldn't be that smug or prideful for very long and I knew Gramps could sense my smug satisfaction at taking the jackass down a few pegs.

 _ **"Shine, and rain retribution upon my enemies."**_

I could sense Porlyusica looking at me with wide eyes as the magic I was gathering formed a small sphere in my cupped hands. I closed my eyes and clapped my hands together, destroying the sphere as I floated just a few inches off the ground.

 _ **"I invoke, Fairy Law."**_

My eyes snapped open as a golden magic circle with the Fairy Tail symbol appeared in front of me and light blazed around me with the toil of a bell. Way off in the distance another, bigger, light blazed brighter than the sun, making Porlyusica put a hand up over her eyes for a moment to block it slightly.

"Fairy Law." I whispered in awe as my own light died off and the light Gramps was making blazed even brighter. "A spell that vanquishes darkness with sacred light granted by the gods. It only affects those that the Caster sees as their enemy. With one caster it is powerful on a scale that would make even the mightiest of dragons tremble, but with two mages? It's power can be utterly devastating. It's one of the most legendary spells in existence."

"And that is why you decided to get out of bed?" Porlyusica asked, looking at me with narrowed eyes as the light died off. I flinched slightly at her furious glare before smiling sheepishly.

"I needed to get outside so I could connect with gramps' magic. It's easier for me to concentrate when I'm outside." I said quietly. "And I doubt you would have wanted me to destroy your house."

She huffed in resignation, and I let out a quiet laugh. I fell silent though and looked up at the sky. "This war, is over." I whispered as Gramps' voice rang out.

"WE ARE VICTORIUS!" He roared, letting is voice ring throughout Magnolia and the surrounding forest. "BUT I HAD VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH IT! THIS VICTORY... **IS YOURS MY CHILDREN!"**

I let out a loud laugh after that as Porlyusica's face lit up with a rare and fond smile.

* * *

 **Erik's POV:**

A broad smile stretched across my face as the rest of the guild started cheering. "We couldn't have done it without you big guy." I whispered.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

When I got back to the guild I was surprised to find everything in ruins.

"What the hell happened here?" I questioned as Porlyusica helped me along.

"VEGA!" Most of the guild cried out as they all rushed me at once. Voices competed with each other as they tried to tell me the story and jostled me around as they hugged me and told me they were glad I was alright.

"Alright, alright, one at a time!" I said, calming them down slightly. "Now, tell me what's going on?"

"Jose managed to destroy the Guild Hall with his Shade Magic." Cana piped up.

"We tried everything we could, but nothing we threw at it would stop it." Kage added.

"Then Gramps unleashed Fairy Law on Jose's ass." Rana said with a big pleased smile. "The Phantom Master won't be bothering us again anytime soon."

"Is everyone accounted for?" I asked curiously.

"Erik still hasn't been seen, and I suspect he is still up there." Mira said as she shook her head.

"You should have seen him Vega!" Natsu added excitedly. "He kicked 'Black Steel's' ass!"

"Oh he did hm?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well then, I guess I'll have to go a little easier on 'Black Steel' when it's my turn to fight him."

* * *

 **Erik's POV:**

I groaned as the exhaustion seeped into my muscles. "Hey, Gajeel, can you hear me?" I called out.

"Na, I can't hear nothin'." He growled back.

"I just wanted to know where you learned Dragon Slayer Magic." I said.

"I told you I can't hear ya." He said again.

"You're the first wizard I've met outside my brood that can use the same kind of magic!" I said back, rolling over so I could look down at him. "Come on man I'm curious!"

"Shut up." He groaned and I laughed.

"Not gonna tell me then?" I asked, he grunted. I laughed slightly and turned back over to look at the sky. "Well, I guess it can't hurt to tell you where I learned then." I could sense his interest and continued. "I was taught the basics by Draconias after I got my Lacrima implanted and Vega rescued me."

"Metallicana." He grunted.

"What?" I asked, looking back at him again.

"The Iron Dragon." He elaborated.

"No way." I breathed, before painstakingly pushing myself to my feet and jumping down to land a little ways away from him as he pushed himself up with a grunt. "I thought so. You're a First Generation Slayer like Vega and Natsu! Any idea where Metallicana is now?"

"I don't know." He answered, looking away. "He just disappeared. Yeah, I'd been training with Metallicana, but then one day he just up and left, without even sayin' a single word to me." He huffed. "Hm, talk about a selfish jerk."

"I think it's a bit more complicated then that." I interrupted. "Draconius and Celestiana, Vega and my dragons disappeared like that too. Wait a minute." I stopped and looked at him. "He didn't happen to disappear on the seventh of July seven years ago did he?"

"Yeah, are you saying you know where Metallicana is?" He asked, looking at me with searching eyes.

"Nope, but Vega and I have been searching for Draconius and Celestiana, and Natsu has been searching for a fire dragon named Igneel. The last time we saw them was July seventh, seven years ago."

Gajeel's eyes widened in shock. "So all four dragons vanished seven years ago, year X777 on the seventh day of the seventh month."

My eyes widened too, making the same connection. "This can't be a coincidence." I said lowly, my eyes darkening as I kept thinking. "Too many variables line up. Vega and Natsu need to hear this too. This could be the lead we've been hoping for."

Gajeel just huffed and looked away again. "I don't care what happened to him." He said, his tone hard, but his scent melancholy. I knew he was lying.

"Then I'd better go before they come looking for me." I said. "Vega is liable to kill you on sight. Let me know if you hear anything else."

"Are you kiddin' me?!" He asked, turning to look at me incredulously as I walked away. "Why would I ever do you any favors?!"

I turned back and shot him a grin. "'Cause we're both Dragon Slayers!" I said simply, knowing it would piss him off.

"Ah screw you!" He roared back. "Next time I get my hands on you YOU'RE DEAD MEAT! YOU'LL BE BEGGIN' FOR MERCY!"

"There's no need to be so brutal!" I said with a smirk. "I was thinking about calling a truce but after that outburst I don't know." My grin just got sharper as he practically exploded with rage.

"I'm brutal?!" He asked. "Give me a break! You just totaled out guild hall!"

"Yeah, but only after you completely demolished ours!" I said. "Screw it! I'm leaving! Good luck when Alpha hunts you down!" I called back, making him pale until he was white as a ghost before I turned around and left to join the others.


	58. My Resolve

**Happy New Years Guys!**

 **But before that can** **get to the new chapter** **I have a few announcements to make!**

 **Thanks to you guys,** **The Star of Fairy Tail** **will be staying on** **Fanfiction. Net!** **Congrats!** **You** **guys** **have broken the 50 reviews mark** **with 51 reviews** **! On the other hand, I am pleased to announce that with the last chapter, we have topped** **100 Thousand Words!**

 **This is my longest story to date, and I am pl** **e** **ased to announce that the inspiration to continue it still burns brightly in my mind** **and heart thanks to you!**

 **My wish now? To top at** **least** **100 reviews before I reach chapter 90.** **If everyone who has favorited and followed this story reviews at least once, we'll top it in no time!** **I don't care if it's n** **e** **g** **a** **tive or positive, just tell me what you think!**

 **Here's to a good 2017!**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail! But Vega, Dante, and Bella are all mine!**

 **Happy New Year!**

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

I stood next to Gramps as entire guild looked over the ruins of our Guild Hall. He sighed. "It's in ruins. They really did a number on it huh?"

"Master?" A nervous voice hesitantly said. "I'm so sorry."

We both turned to see Lucy standing behind us, refusing to meet our eyes. I gave her a reassuring smile as master started talking. "Ah child, you've been through a lot lately, but don't let it get cha' down."

"Yeah! Let's see a smile Lucy!" A familiar voice piped up cheerfully. We turned and saw Jet, Droy, Reedus and Levi, still covered in bandages, with jet's arm in a sling, Droy limping along in a crutch, and Reedus banged up and bruised, but all of them smiling.

"Levi?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

"Yup! We're back!" She said with a grin and a wink.

"You're alright!" Lucy said, smiling.

"We beat Phantom, so there's no reason for you to be sad!" Levi admonished.

"Sure they might have destroyed our Guild Hall-" Droy started.

"But we're gonna rebuild it even bigger and better!" Jet finished.

"Oui!" Reedus agreed.

"I'm sorry that we had you so worried Lucy." Levi said.

"No, it was all my fault!" Lucy started to protest before Levi spoke up again.

"We heard about your secret, but there's not a single person in the guild who think's your to blame!" Levi said.

Reedus sheepishly scratched his head. "She's right, in fact I owe you an apology." Lucy started to tear up.

"Lucy." Master said, drawing everyone's attention. "Though we may not be able to share our feelings of happiness and sadness entirely, we do share them to some extent. That's what happens in a person's happiness becomes everyone's happiness."

I took my cue from that. "One person's anger becomes everyone's anger."

Gramps nodded at me before continuing. "And one person's tears become everyone's tears. There is no reason for you to feel guilty, so don't cry. You should already know how much everyone here cares about you." Lucy put her hands up to her face, trying to hold in the sobs as he kept talking. "Hold your head high my dear, because you are a proud member of the Fairy Tail family." I walked up an hugged her as she finally let it all out, sobbing out her happiness to the world as everyone started smiling.

Then the moment was ruined as Gramps burst into tears. "Master?! What's wrong?!" I asked worriedly.

* * *

 _About a week after we defeated Phantom, we started rebuilding and everything seemed normal again._

Various members of the guild walked back and forth in the rubble, clearing away the debris and beginning work on the new foundation. I wiped away a bit of sweat on my forehead as I helped Erik leaver and hold a beam in place long enough for Natsu to flash dry the cement holding it in place.

"Okay! Time for a break you guys!" Mira called out cheerfully as she came around with a tray of drinks.

"Thanks Mira." I said, accepting a mug of water.

 _But it wasn't long before things suddenly took a turn for the worse. We were confronted by the Rune Knights, the Magic Council's army_.

Everyone started panicking as the uniformed soldiers swept through the city, surrounding each member of Fairy Tail. Natsu and Happy tried to make a break for it, but were quickly stopped.

"Well damn." I whispered as I was led off by the captain to a separate tent for questioning along with Dante.

"Guess we're not getting off easy this time eh Vega?" my furry partner asked sarcastically.

"You got that right." I muttered.

 _They rounded everyone up and took us to a military post for extensive questioning. We had to endure a week of interrogations, but everything seems to have blown over now. I guess the other council members finally realized that I my testimony, and the testimony of all the citizens of Magnolia can be trusted. They have decided to postpone any judgment of Fairy Tail until they have rounded up a few of the core members of Phantom Lord. I hear they brought Aria and Totomaru in for questioning not to long ago, and have been working on finding Sol. There has been no word on the whereabouts of Juvia or Gajeel however, and we are inclined to think that they may have been released_.

I stood up and stretched out, working out all of the kinks and aches in my back as I tested my mobility without the bandages.

"Vega!" Erik yelled as he burst through the door to our home after we had called it quits for the day. "Lucy's gone!"

"Gone?!" I asked, looking at him incredulously. "What do you mean gone?!"

"I went over to her place earlier to give her back her gate keys. She never answered the door." He explained as the rest of Team Natsu peeked through the door.

"Her suitcase was gone as well." Erza said, stepping inside. "And she left behind a note." She held up the letter.

I took it from her, and my eyes widened.

 ** _I will go home_**

 ** _~Lucy_**

"Well, what the hell are you waiting for?" I asked them, raising an eyebrow. They all looked at me with wide eyes. "She's a member of your team and you friend isn't she?!"

Erik scratched the back of his head nervously for a second, making my eyebrow raise further. "Well, um, you see, Vega, um..."

"What is it Erik?" I asked.

"She might be something a little bit more than that to me." He said softly, nearly squeaking from nervousness.

I took a sharp breath. "You don't mean that she might be...?" I asked softly.

Erik nodded.

"That tears it!" I said, standing up as Dante jumped up and landed on my shoulder. "Alright guys! Let's move out! Operation: Wayward Celestial is a go!"

* * *

 **Lucy's POV:**

I walked down the familiar stretch of road, one that I hadn't seen in months, as I lost myself in memories.

* * *

 _"Look daddy! I made a rice ball with your face on it! I made it special for you daddy, it's not good to work on an empty stomach!"_

 _Dad just grunted before continuing to work. "I'm busy right now, come back later." He said dismissively._

 _"Okay." I said disappointedly before brightening up with an idea. "I'm just gonna leave it here in case you get hungry." I said, putting it on the desk. "Today's special you know? It's my-"_

 _Dad snapped, smacking the rice ball away. "Lucy! Don't you ever listen?!" He snapped as I flinched away. "I told you I'm busy!"_

 _"I'm sorry." I whimpered as I took a step back. I turned around and quickly walked towards the door, pausing for a second to look back. "Um, daddy?" I started to ask._

 _"Stop being such a pest!" He snapped, looking at me with hard, cold eyes. I flinched back as he continued. "I don't want to eat your silly rice ball! If I get hungry I'll call the chef, now go study your business lessons as stop hassling me! You hear me?! NO MORE INTERUPTIONS!"_

 _I raced out the door, sobbing my heart out when I was sure he couldn't hear me anymore. "But daddy! TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!"_

* * *

I snapped out of it as I stopped on the crest of the hill overlooking the estate. Letting the wind run through my hair as I sadly reminisced.

Taking in a deep breath, I gathered my courage and continued onwards. _'There is no turning back now.'_ I thought to myself. _'This has to be done!'_ Holding my head high and proud, I walked through the gates.

I encountered a short middle aged woman humming and sweeping the walkway as I neared the house. "Miss Sopeto!" I called out cheerfully.

She stopped and stared at me for a moment, before bursting into tears and running to hug me.

Hearing her sobs, the rest of the servants rushed outside. "MISS LUCY HAS COME BACK TO US!" They all called out happily as they surrounded me.

"I'm so glad you're alright I was so worried!" Miss Sopeto cried as he hugged my legs and sobbed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you." I apologized as I gently pried her off.

"Welcome back Miss!" Bello, my tutor said happily. "I hope you're ready to start hitting the books again!"

"Look at you!" Rivin, our head chef said, rubbing away the tears from his eyes. "You're all grown up now! I bet you've got a boyfriend don't cha! Maybe two?" I chuckled at that, my mind wandering back to a certain someone as Miss Sopeto started crying again.

 _'They haven't changed one bit._ ' I thought fondly, looking around at my friends and family.

"Miss Lucy!" One of the maids called out. "The Master requests your presence in the study!"

My face and the mood soured at that. _'His runaway daughter finally comes home and he sends a servant to request my presence?'_ I thought, looking up at the windows. _'I see he hasn't changed either.'_

The other maids bustled me inside at that, blindsiding me in a frilly whirlwind as I tried to keep track of everything.

Next thing I know, I was looking at myself in one of the big mirrors in the manor. Dressed impeccably in one of the many dresses I owned, my hair up and pinned back out of my face as the maids adjusted everything to fit. _'I forgot about the dresses, and how uncomfortable they can be._ ' I thought, cringing on the inside as I put on a small fake smile so they wouldn't feel bad about it. _'It's been awhile since I've had to wear one.'_

"It's not too tight is it?" One of them asked.

"It looks like the sleeve may be a wee bit too short for you now miss." The other remarked.

"It's okay." I said _. 'I guess I've gotten taller.'_ I thought. _'Has it really been that long?_ ' I turned around to look at them again. "Well uh, I should probably get going." I said cheerfully and nervously.

"Yes ma'am." The two of them said as I started walking up to my father's study.

I took in a deep breath as I approached the doors, before speaking up loudly and clearly. "Excuse me, father? It's Lucy, may I come in?"

I held my breath, until the answer came. "Yes you may." I pushed open the door and stepped inside to see his hard and unforgiving glare. "You ran away without even saying a word to me! How could you?"

I looked down. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left without speaking to you. It was a poor decision on my part, one I now deeply regret."

He turned away from me, staring at the wall. "I'm glad you finally came to your senses and left that guild." He remarked. "A lady of your status shouldn't be affiliated with those ruffians. I certainly wasn't looking forward to wasting any more of my money to having it eradicated." I twitched momentarily as he kept talking. "You forced me to go to extremes Lucy." He looked at me coldly. "If you hadn't acted so selfishly I wouldn't have had to lash out at your guild. You're the one who brought trouble upon your friends." His words cut deeply, and I looked down at the floor as he continued. "It's better that you don't associate with them anyway! You're a member of the Heartfilia Family! You have nothing in common with those peasants! You come from a completely different world then them! Which brings me to the reason why I wanted you home in the first place dear." He turned his back to me, looking out the window. "It's about our family. I have arranged for you to marry Duke Swar, the Jenell Heir."

I looked up at him. "Yes I suspected that might be the case." I said shortly.

He huffed, not even bothering to look at me. "Try to think of it as an investment in your future. Once your married we'll have access to the Jenell family's vast lands in the south, which will allow us to expand the Heartfilia Railway and bring in millions."

"I see." I said tonelessly, keeping a tight grip on the rage and disappointment that was slowly bubbling up.

"And I expect you to give birth to a baby boy. We need a Heartfilia heir." I was silent as I let that stew in my brain for a moment. "That is all for now, you may return to your room." He said, a clear dismissal.

I took in a breath, before beginning. "I'm sorry father, but that's not going to happen." I said coldly. He turned to look at me as I continued. "I didn't come here to make amends. I came here to say my final goodbyes. I realize it was wrong of me to just leave without saying anything. It's a decision I have regretted every single day." I closed my eyes for a second, before I opened them again and fixed him with a cold steely glare. "And so I've come back to tell you exactly how I feel before leaving for good."

He shook, his eyes widening before narrowing again. "Lucy..." He growled threateningly.

I straightened up, holding his furious gaze. "All the money in the world can't buy you happiness!" I declared, my voice was loud and strong as I spoke. "I figured that out when I was a child. Finally I'm truly happy! And I'm not gonna let you ruin it for me! You hear?!" I yelled, pointing at him as he froze and reeled back. "I'm warning you. YOU BETTER NOT MESS WITH FAIRY TAIL EVER AGAIN!" I grabbed the collar of the stiff uncomfortable dress, and ripped it. "It doesn't matter that you're my father." I growled, shrugging off the scraps and leaving me in my petticoat. "IF YOU THREATEN US WE WILL CRUSH YOU JUST LIKE ANY OTHER ENEMY!"

I turned and started walking away, before pausing.

"It didn't have to be this way." I said, turning to look at him again. "You and I could have sat down together and talked things out, but now I can't trust you. 'Cause you've hurt too many people I care about." Erik, covered in bandages and unconscious flashed into my mind for a second as I turned around again and started walking away. "I don't need fancy dresses, a big house, or lots of money to be happy! I just need to be accepted for who I am. And I'm not Lucky Lucy Heartfilia anymore." I lifted my hand, and showed off my guild mark. "I'm Lucy of Fairy Tail. The people there treat me like family, something you never did." I bit out venomously. "It was hard for me to leave this house, but only because I had so many fond memories of living here with Mom. I care so much about Miss Sopetto, Bello, Rivin, and Ido. It's really hard for me to leave them behind, but it's time for me to move on." I heard him take a step towards me before I continued. "I truly believe if mom were still alive she's tell me to always be true to myself, and do whatever makes me happy."

"Layla..." I heard him whisper.

I started forwards again. "So this is goodbye, Daddy." I whispered.

As I walked down the hall, the two maids from before presented me with my old clothes, which I gratefully changed back into in my old room, before I set out again.

Before I left however, I took a quick detour to the cemetery to see mom. I stared up at her statue for a moment, before bowing my head. "Bye mom. I'd better get back."

"LUCY!" I heard a bunch of voices call out. I whipped around to see Erik, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Jellal, and Vega running towards me, right before Happy, Bella, and Dante slammed into my chest and Cubellios slithered up to wrap around my shoulders.

"Why did just you take off like that?" Erik asked as he slid to a stop in front of me.

"I had to tie up a few loose ends with my father." I said, before launching into my story. Gray was horrified half way through, Jellal and Erza seemed sympathetic, Natsu looked just about ready to blow his top and destroy something, and Erik?

Erik looked downright murderous, as did Vega.

After I finished telling my story, we all went back to the main grounds and I told the servants goodbye. They waved us off as we left, me and Erik near the back as the others walked just in front of me.

"I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean to freak you out." I apologized again.

"There's no need to apologize." Erza said, waving it off. "We shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

"Yeah, we thought you were going back for good." Gray said.

"Most of us anyway." Jellal said, rolling his eyes.

"Happy here was cryin' like a baby." Natsu said.

"You cried just as much as I did Natsu." Happy shot back.

"Psh, did not!" Natus said.

"I gotta tell ya," Gray commented looking around. "I'm kinda diggin' your home town."

"Me too, it's such a peaceful place." Erza said.

"Oh it's not a town." I said cheerfully. "This is just part of our gardens!" I pointed towards a mountain in the distance. "The Heartfilia Estate goes all the way up to that mountain over there." Everyone shut up pretty quickly at that. "Huh, what's the matter guys?" I asked, right before everyone exploded.

"HOLY CRAP SHE'S RICH!" Gray yelled.

"AND SHE ACTS LIKE IT'S NOTHING!" Natsu yelled. Jellal and Erik's jaws dropped to the ground, unable to compute what had just happened. Bella and Dante were right alongside them, while I could feel Cubellios shaking with laughter at their expressions.

"Six of our best soldiers are down!" Happy reported, saluting like a military soldier. "Captain Erza, what are your orders?!"

Erza on the other hand was checked out. "Wow, the sky is so beautiful..." She said.

"We need a medic! Captain Erza has a screw loose!" He reported.

I burst out laughing.

 _ _Mom, I know you're looking down on me from Heaven.__ _ _You always taught me to follow my dreams, so I'm sure you'd agree with my decision to leave. I really couldn't be happier! Fairy Tail is my family now...__

 _Has anyone caught my eye lately?_

Erik threw back his head and laughed long and loud as we started running to catch the train. The others made it on board quickly, but I wasn't quite fast enough. Seeing me starting to lag behind, he hopped off the train, ran up to me a scooped me up bridal style. I hooked my hands around his neck and laughed as he put on a burst of speed and caught up quickly, leaping onto the train and setting me on my feet beside him. I looked up at him, smiled cheekily, and kissed his cheek in thanks. Erik completely froze and a deep blush broke out over his cheeks. Laughing, I winked at him before turning and walking into the train car with the others.

 _ _Well, there__ _ _ **is**__ _ _this one guy.__

"Hey Lucy!" He called out as he stepped back inside. "I almost forgot." He reached into one of the pockets in his coat and pulled out a familiar key pouch. "I found these after you were taken by Juvia and Sol."

 _ _He's different from everyone I've ever met. Definitely not the average Prince Charming from my old storybooks-__

I gracefully accepted them and stared down at them in wonder before looking at him in askance. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment with a sheepish smile and a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks. "I thought you would want them back when everything was over, but I forgot I had them in the chaos that came afterwards."

I blushed, before hugging him. "Thank you Erik." I whispered in his ear as he blushed bright red.

"Y-you're welcome Lucy." He stuttered out _._

 _ _-but he's a gentleman none the less. I think you would approve.__


	59. Next Generation

**Wow, 2017 already.**

 **I feel old.**

 **Speaking of old story is nearing it's first birthday!**

 **Woohoo!**

 **As always, I don't own Fairy Tail. Vega, Dante, Bella, and Chui belong to me however.**

* * *

Dante and I desperately held in our laughter as Gramps snored away in front of the rest of the council without a care in the world.

"Um, Mister Makarov? Hello?!" One of the frog tellers yelled, waking him up.

"Here!" Gramps yelled, looking around franticly.

"Court is in session sir!" The frog stated professionally. "And we have a very strict policy of no sleeping while on the stand.

Gramps started sweating as he looked away, embarrassed. "Sorry about that." He said, laughing and nervously rubbing the back of his head. Most of the council growled at his blatant disrespect, but Ultear and Simon were holding back laughter just like me.

"Phantom Lord is to be disbanded." Gramps started as we sat with Yajima once court was finished "And Jose stripped of his title as one of the Wizard Saints. Pretty much what I expected, but then Fairy Tail was found innocent, which came as a bit of a surprise to me." I ran my hand down Dante's back as he curled into my lap, listening with half and ear as they talked.

"Vega and I spoke in defense of your character Maky." Yajima said. "I hope ya appreciate that."

"You know I'm glad for the support Yaj." Gramps huffed. "I'd like it if you could drop by the guild once it's been repaired, and I'll treat ya to some ramen."

"I could go for a Fairy Ramen with twelve slices of roasted pork." Yajima commented off handedly.

"That's kinda pushin' it don't 'cha think?" Gramps asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yajima had no visible reaction as he spoke up again. "Do you know what the penalty is for violating the fourth clause of your guild charter?" He asked.

"Alright I get the point!" Gramps snapped back as I started giggling. "You can have twenty slices! Better yet make it thirty!"

Yajima didn't react again. "Twelve pork slices would be fine."

Gramps looked away again and let out a sigh.

"Listen," Yajima started. "I think it's time you ta reign it in. We're not as young as we used to be you know?" Gramps let out another sigh as Yajima continued. "Don't tell me that you've forgotten?" He asked.

"About what?" Gramps asked.

"What happened to our old pal?"

"Who Rob? Course not."

"Those were the good old days." Yajima sighed, reminiscing. "The team of you, me, Rob, and Porlyusica. We were all so young back then, just a bunch of reckless fools, but we lived every day to the fullest."

"We sure did." Gramps agreed, getting this far away look in his eyes. "Fairy Tail was a great place to be until Rob left us. Erza sometimes shares her stories of what he was like in his later years."

"I brought this up 'cause there's been increasing talk that Fairy Tail's antics are getting out of hand lately." My head jerked over to look at him with hard, and glowing eyes. To his credit Yajima didn't even react. "Nickalo and Org have been making noise in the council about wanting to disband the guild."

"Where was I when this was happening?" I asked lowly, struggling to keep the growl rumbling in my chest from becoming audible.

Yajima looked over at me. "Out on jobs or assignments." He said. "Those two aren't foolish enough to talk about it when you're present. The gods know you would shut them up in seconds otherwise."

I huffed, twitching as I kept a tight lid on the snarl that threatened to come out. "Gramps?" I asked, looking over at him. He looked up at me with an unreadable expression. "Permission to go and blow off some steam so I can convince myself not to go back in there and rip the other council member's heads off their shoulders?" I asked, my expression darkening significantly.

"Granted." He said, nodding jerkily.

"Thank you." I said, before shifting Dante into my arms and leaping off into the air. " **Cosmic Transfer.** " I whispered venomously as I disappeared in a flash of golden light.

* * *

When I landed again, I wasn't back at the guild, but on Mt. Hakobe.

Dante snapped awake as the cold wind ruffled his fur. "Vega?" He asked, rubbing his eyes with a yawn. "What are we doin' up on the mountain? I thought we were heading back to the guild after the meeting?"

I twitched in agitation. "I've got a few anger issues I need to work out before I face anyone buddy, or I'm gonna fucking _**snap**_." I ground out through clenched teeth as my eyes glowed with barely suppressed rage.

Dante shrugged before taking off and settling in the branches of a nearby tree. "Have at it!" He yelled back as soon as he was comfortable.

I took in a long, deep, calming breath, before letting out a snarl. " **Celestial Earth Dragon's** **Rock Slide** **.** " A few dozen ten-ton boulders popped out of the ground in front of me. " **Celestial** **Purgatory** **Dragon's** **Vindictive** **Blast** **!** " I aimed the gold and blood red magic at one of the boulders and pouring all of my rage and anger into the attack before throwing it. As it impacted with the boulders, they caved in on themselves, disintegrating at the slightest touch.

I took aim at another boulder. " **Celestial Water Dragon's** **Hydro Bullet!** " Whitish-blue light lit up around my hands, before a concentrated stream of water condensed around my hands and shot off at the boulder, shattering it on contact before whirling around to take aim at another that was directly behind me. " **Celestial Iron Dragon's Roar!** " A white hot tornado of metal shards ripped out of my mouth and ripped the solid stone to shreds.

I took in another calming, deep breath before flinging my right hand out to the side to target the largest boulder without looking.

 _"They are all around us_

 _Appearing with the moonrise_

 _Disappearing with the sunrise_

 _But never truly gone_

 **Dragon Slayer Secret Art!**

 **Red Giant: Inversion.** "

Air seemed to bend around the boulder as it glowed with a faint silver light and started cracking almost immediately from an invisible force. In the time it took to blink it seemingly caved in on itself before violently exploding outwards. Dante scrambled behind the trunk of the tree he was resting on to avoid any rock shards as I snapped out a Star Dragon's Shield.

Still riding the energy high I cast one last spell. " **Dragon Slayer Secret Art! Yellow Dwarf: Ultra Violet Blades.** " Two swords made completely from light manifested in my hands, and I _moved._ Next thing I knew, the rest of the boulders around me fell, cut in perfect cubes, and _melted._

I breathed in a deep breath, actually relaxing this time, and let it out slowly. "I feel much better now." I said calmly.

"Geeze." Dante said, popping back out from behind the tree to get a look a the destruction around me. "What in the seven rings of hell set you off that badly?"

I looked up at him with a deadpan stare. "What else could possible make me snap this much?" I asked, my tone flat with surprised emotion.

"The Magic Council." Dante replied, his tone just as flat and angry. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"The Magic Council." I echoed with a nod.

"Ready to head home then?" He asked as he flew down to land on my shoulder.

"Yeah." I said, letting out a huff before I took off running. " **Cosmic Transfer.** "

* * *

A smile flitted across my face as I landed in front of the Guild's construction site and the cheerful sounds of the guild filled the air. I was about to step inside, when everything went quiet as Erza's voice rang out above all the others. "Why don't you tell the others how you feel?!"

"Erza, calm down." Jellal's voice said, almost too soft for me to hear.

I stopped to listen as Laxus' voice started up. "I have no problem telling them what I think of them." He growled. "This guild's full of nothin' but losers and weaklings! Especially the two of morons! You were Phantom's personal punching bags! You know I'm glad I never bothered to learn your names." His voice raised even louder and my expression darkened. "Which brings me to the worst of them all! The rich little princess wannabe wizard. This was your fault!"

"LAXUS!" Mira yelled out, sounding more fierce and angry than I've heard in years. "Would you shut up?! The Master said no one in the Guild was to be held accountable for what happened! Not even you, despite the fact that the _only_ reason you came to help was because Vega threatened you when you were going to turn your back on us!"

"Stop your whining!" Laxus growled. "That fight had nothin' to do with me! But If I hadn't showed up you would be dead instead of drowning your sorrows in this pile of rubble!"

"I'VE HEARD ENOUGH OUTTA YOU!" Natsu yelled, and I heard a crack of thunder as I think Laxus dodged his attack. "Come on Laxus fight me like a man you gutless coward!" He yelled angrily.

Laxus just started laughing. "How do you expect to fight me if you can't even touch me you dimwit?!" He taunted. "I can't wait to inherit this place and kick all you weaklings to the curb! You're days in Fairy Tail are numbered kids! Things are gonna be a _whole lot different_ around here, so I guess you losers will have to find a new place to hang out."

I had heard enough at that point. "Not if I have anything to say about that Laxus." I said, all eyes turning to me as I stepped inside.

"Oh, looky here!" Laxus said, his tone teasing as his mouth twisted into a sneer. "It's the one I had to rescue! Come to thank me?" He asked arrogantly as my face turned thunderous.

"The only thing I want to do right now you complete and utter jackass is **put you in your place.** " I growled out as I stalked forwards. A wave of power lashed out, and as the edges of it hit them Erik and Natsu froze and nearly choked on their spit. Laxus on the other hand was hit with the full force of it, shuttering and struggling to stay on his feet as I stopped a few feet away from him and glared. **"** **You have no right to** **accuse** _ **anyone**_ **of** _ **anything**_ **Laxus."** I said. **"** **It's true, Jose would have killed all of us, but he wouldn't have stopped there. Once we were dead, he would have come after everyone else,** **no matter where they were** **,** **a** **nd I have little doubt that you and Mystogan would be first on** _ **that**_ **list."** I let up on the power and turned to walk towards the bar. "Oh and Laxus?" I said, turning to look at him again with glowing eyes as my magic flared to dizzying heights and Laxus actually fell to his knees, struggling to do anything other than breathing. **"Don't threaten the other members of the guild again.** **If it comes down to it, you and I** **are going** **fight for leadership of the guild, and** **for the record?** _ **Gramps**_ **was the one to make that decision."**

I let up on the power as I turned away again, and didn't react as I heard him suck in a breath of air. I felt his burning gaze on my back as I sat down at the bar, and sighed as a crackle of lightning and the boom of thunder announced his departure. "I wish I didn't have to do that." I muttered as Mira set a glass of scotch in front of me with a sympathetic smile.

"What a jerk!" Lucy complained as she plopped down onto the stool beside me. "Why would anyone ever let him take over?"

"We may not have a choice." Mira said as I started sipping at my drink. "Laxus could inherit the guild because he's the master's grandson."

"Huh?!" Lucy gasped.

Mira just smiled sadly. "Whether we like it or not, he's near the top of a short list of people who could assume command if the Master were to retire."

"Oh really?" Lucy asked, her face falling. "That sucks. It doesn't seem right. Someone who talks like that about his fellow members isn't worthy of being Fairy Tail's leader."

"It's been rumored that Master Makarov refuses to retire for that very reason." Mira informed her.

"Wow, seriously?" Lucy asked.

"Man I hate him." Natsu snarled, his fists shaking with barely suppressed anger.

"Calm down." Erza said. "It's just a needless waste of energy. Let's try to get your mind off him. What do you think about taking a job? " Natsu looked at her in surprise as she continued. "And we can get Gray, Erik, Jellal, and Lucy to come along with us."

Gray started in surprise as Lucy yelled in shock. "WHAT?!" Erik looked eager as Jellal raised an eyebrow in interest.

"We've all been working together since the Eisenwald incident, so I guess we're a team of sorts now." Erza continued. I started chuckling as murmurs broke out among the rest of the guild. "So what do you think about making it official?" She asked. "The six of us working together as a team? Well, eight if you count Happy, Bella, and Cubellios." She amended at the last second.

Lucy looked hesitant for a second. "But, you're sure you want someone like me on your team?" she asked.

"Not someone like you." Natsu piped up. "Lucy it's gotta be exactly you!"

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"It just wouldn't feel right if we didn't have you out there with us, you know?" Natsu said, grinning at her.

"Now that they finally realize it, I guess they're officially our strongest team!" Cana said.

"Yeah it's about time." Macao said.

"Is Lucy really one of our strongest?" Wakaba asked.

"I know I'd be done for it she sicked that psycho Aquarious on me." Alzack said jokingly.

"She's got a real sharp toung too." Droy said.

"Yeah she's one of the best in the guild." Jet agreed.

Gray and Natsu started glaring at each other behind Erza's back, right until she turned and saw them. "Problem boys?" She asked.

"NO! WE'RE ABSOLUTLY THRILLED!" They both said quickly.

She eyed them skeptically for another few seconds, before turning towards Jellal and Erik. "And what about you two?"

"Where you go, I go." Jellal said simply, making her smile and blush slightly which gained a few curious looks.

Erik seemed thoughtful for a second. "Kicking ass, taking names, and causing havoc." A broad grin stretched across his face. "Count me in!" Bella nodded from his shoulder as Cubellios gave a hiss of agreement from around his arm.

Dante raised a furry eyebrow. "That team is either going to rise in infamy or crash and burn within the month." He said to me.

I smiled sharply. "I bet you ten thousand jewel that they stay together." I offered.

"You're on." Dante said. We shook hand and paw sealing the bet.

"In that case I've already got a job lined up for us!" Erza proclaimed. "Taking down an arcane cult in the castle town of Lupanius. You with me?"

"YEAH!"

The eight of them trooped out the door to go and pack up for the job as Mira turned back to me. "What about you Vega? Gonna take on a job soon?"

I took another sip of my scotch and thought it over. "Once my teaching job at the university is over." I said. "After all, it's only for another week."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you usually take that job when it pops up." Mira remarked, a smile on her face. "You must really enjoy it for them to request you so often."

"Yeah." I said with a soft smile. "The students love me, the pay is good, and the university's attendance and graduation rates have skyrocketed since I started taking the job." I said proudly. "Headmaster Stellios keeps a standing offer for the job full time, but I keep turning him down."

"Why is that?" Mira asked curiously.

I chuckled sadly. "Because if I did, I would have to give up on taking jobs and leave the Guild." Mira's eyes went wide as she nodded in understanding. "It's a demanding position part time already, and I really don't want to give up being a Guild Wizard."

* * *

 **Third Person POV:**

Night had fallen over Magnolia as Makarov Dreyar looked out on the silent city and the abandoned construction site that was soon to be the new guild hall. He sighed, bringing the mug that was sitting next to him up to his mouth and drinking deeply.

"Retire huh?" He muttered, before letting his eyes rove over the construction site again. "With the new hall perhaps the guild needs a new master as well. But who?" He mulled over the choices in his head. "Laxus? He's got some personal issues he needs to sort out. Mystogan? A silent recluse is hardly leader material." He put a hand up to his chin. "Of course there's Erza, but she's still rather young, and the most obvious choice, Vega."

"Oh there you are Master! I've been looking all over for you!" Mira's happy voice chirped, dragging him out of his thoughts. "It seems they've done it again sir!"

"Done what?!" He yelled down.

Mira smiled sheepishly as she held up a stack of papers. "Erza and her team completed the Lupanius job but they destroyed half the town!" Makarov's jaw dropped in horror as she continued. "The Magic Council is demanding that you submit a written apology immediately!" When he didn't react Mira yelled up again. "Master? Is there something wrong?"

That triggered it.

"I'M NEVER GONNA BE ABLE TO RETIRE AT THIS RATE!"

Makarov's enraged voice was heard all throughout Magnolia that night.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

One week later Dante and I walked into the guild to see Lucy sitting at the bar again. "DON'T GET ME STARTED ON HER!" Lucy yelled in despair.

"I could have warned you this would happen." Mira said sympathetically.

"We were a bigger menace to that town than that cult ever was!" The blond slammed her head on the counter. "And we're paying for it out of our reward!" She sat up again, anime tears rolling down her face. "Oh, if this keeps up I'm not gonna be able to cover my rent!"

"Well," Mira interrupted. "I just happen to have a special job I can throw your way." Lucy looked at her in surprise and interest as she continued. "This one's right up you're ally and the best part is your team won't be able to destroy anything! Mira smiled as she pulled out a flier and handed it to the Celestial Mage. "The theater in Onibus has been struggling for quite some time now. The owner has requested a few mages to hopefully draw in a new crowd for the upcoming performances he's putting on. Think you can handle it?"

"Handle it?" Lucy asked, sounding slightly offended. "This will be a walk in the park!" With a wide smile on her face she took off towards her team, and they took off not long after. Mira's smile took on a sharp edge for a second as she handed a letter to a messenger bird, then started squealing softly.

"That was the theater job that Erik and I got stuck on for a month a few years back, wasn't it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her as I sat down.

She giggled innocently as she set a glass of my scotch down in front of me. "To be honest, I only recognized it after I gave it too her." She admitted sheepishly.

"Uh huh." I deadpanned. "And this one _just so happened_ to detail that it needed a male and female wizard to play the leads of the play and you sent off a letter stating that Erik and Lucy had accepted the roles."

Her giggling got even louder and took on a maniacal edge as I sighed in resignation. "Mira, we've talked about this. Matchmaking is all well and good, but some things need to happen _naturally_. The love lives of Dragon Slayers are one of those things."

"I know..." She sighed, looking put out for a second before she brightened up again. "But look at it this way!" She chirped. "We get to go and watch them later on! Maybe we'll finally see Erik make his move and ask her!"

I smiled slightly at that. "Now _that_ sounds like fun." I admitted. "But I'm afraid I'm gonna have to pass. The Magic Council was asking for my help for a reconnaissance mission. A couple of them have concerns about a possible information leak, and they want me to find the mole."

"Sounds interesting." Mira said with a raised eyebrow.

Loke chose that moment to sit down next to me at the bar with a heavy, exhausted sigh. I looked over at the Ring Mage with concern. "Gods above Loke, you look terrible."

"Don't feel that great either." He mumbled, leaning forwards to rest his head on the bar as Mira set a glass of water on the counter in front of him.

My eyes went wide in realization as Mira was distracted for a second. "My gods, it's getting close to your deadline, isn't it?" I asked lowly.

He sighed and gave me a mournful nod. "I've tried everything." He said, looking up at me sorrowful eyes. "But I'm not gonna last the month. At best, I have two weeks. At worst, two days."

"There must be something we can try!" I said desperately trying to reason with him. "A magic infusion from my Demons maybe?"

He shook his head. "It won't work." He said. "At worst, it will speed up in reaction to it."

"Gods." I whispered, nearly on the verge of tears. "I am so sorry Loke, I'm sorry I didn't kick that bitch's ass the first time I met her."

Loke gave me a sad smile. "It's not your fault Vega, there was no way you could have known. At least, I get to go on my terms, unlike with her."

I nodded, and put my hand on his shoulder to give it a reassuring squeeze. "We'll find a way." I said, smiling sadly. He nodded, not meeting my eyes as he stood and left without another word.

"Vega?" Dante asked quietly. I looked down at him, meeting his yellow eyes. "Loke isn't gonna make it on his own... is he?"

I shook my head as a tear rolled down my cheek.


	60. A Star Returned to the Sky

**Sorry this took so long guys! This chapter was a pain in the ass to write!**

 **Let's get the reviews up in the triple digits soon alright? Cause last I checked this story had over 40,000 views!**

 **As always my lovelies I do not own Fairy Tail, nor any of the other anime characters you may see. Vega, Dante, and Bella however are mine and mine alone. The Black Demons are the amazing children of _fairytailcrossover._**

* * *

I sighed in relief as Dante and I finally got off the train again at Magnolia. "I can't believe it took us over a week to hunt down our informant." I said.

"Yeah." Dante said as he lounged on my shoulder. "And to think, he was gonna skip town without giving us the info."

I nodded. "Glad we handed that backstabber over to the Rune Knights. Who knows who he was actually working for."

I walked into the guild and stopped short with a raised eyebrow at the sight of a bandage covered Natsu and Grey clashing again. "What happened to them?" I asked Mira, who was watching them alongside Elfman.

"Evidently they both were hurt during a pillow fight after their last job." Mira said with a cheerful smile.

"If they're that banged up then those pillows musta been full of bricks." Elfman said. I laughed as I turned to the bar to pour myself a drink and sat down beside Lucy.

"LUCY! I WON THE PILLOW FIGHT RIGHT?!" Both boys yelled.

Lucy just turned towards them slowly, a melisma of rage surrounding her as she shot them a deadpan stare. "Put a sock in it." She growled.

I laughed as both boys shuttered. "We're sorry." They apologized. "We'll be quiet now."

"Wow." Mira whispered in awe of the blond. "I though Erza and Vega were the only ones who could keep those two in check."

"She's a real man." Elfman said, looking at Lucy with respect.

"What's wrong? You seem like you're in a bad mood." Happy asked her.

"Deal with it." Lucy said as she turned back to her food. "I'm always like this."

"You still mad at me about that Plu thing?" Happy asked sheepishly.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Lucy said, looking down at the cat incredulously. "You think I'm petty enough to get hung up on some prank?" She sighed, putting her fork down. "Look, I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"Hey you can always talk to me!" Happy offered cheerfully.

"I'll pass." She said softly. "Thanks anyway though." She said with a sad smile.

I put a hand on her shoulder and have it a comforting squeeze, before stiffening as I felt a source of magic nearby fluctuate. My head whipped around to look into the shadows, meeting the panicked eyes of Loke before my attention was pulled away again as a group of girls walked up to the bar. "I've been looking all over for Loke! Where is he?!" The first one, a brown haired bimbo in a light purple dress demanded.

"I can't believe he ran out on me!" Another said angrily.

"What are you doing here?" One of them demanded.

"I could ask you the same thing!" The other shot back.

"Loke come back!" One of the yelled.

"What's going on over there?" Lucy asked curiously.

"They're a bunch of girls from around town." Happy said. "From the looks of things they all think they're Loki's girlfriend."

"Last night he said he wanted to break up with me!" The first girl said.

"And he broke up with me too!" The second said.

"And me!" The third said.

"What's going on?!" the fourth demanded.

"Why doesn't he want me anymore?! Huh why?!" the first demanded.

Mira just help up her hands in submission. "Well...uh..." The barmaid stuttered.

"Is he getting married to some other girl?" The second asked.

"Uh, no!" Mira said.

"Who is she?! Is it someone from the guild?!" The first girl demanded.

"Lucy save me!" Mira yelled.

As one, all four girls turned and glared at the blond.

"So is this the girl?" The first demanded venomously.

"Well she dresses like a tramp." The thrid girl said.

"She thinks she's cute." The second girl said.

"Don't tell me Loke's gonna marry her!" The fourth said.

Lucy took off running at that. "Why's you have to drag me into this mess Mira?!" She demanded as she ran away.

I turned to glare at the four of them. "The four of you are disturbing the mages of the guild. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." I said softly, looking at them with disdain.

All four of them instantly zeroed in on me. "And just who the hell do you think you are you bitch?!" The first one demanded hotly as the other three instantly grew nervous.

I smirked, showing off one of my fangs as Dante lept onto my shoulder. "My name is Vega Cosmitella you skank." I said, smirking as her eyes grew wide in recognition. "S-Class Wizard of Fairy Tail, and one of Loke's best friends."

"Well then where the hell is he?" She demanded.

"Loke hasn't been feeling like himself lately." I started, looking at all four of them. "And I was there with him when he got some bad news the other day that shook him up pretty badly. I'm not surprised that he's breaking off his connections, he really seemed upset." I glowered at them, my aura rising up and turning a menacing black as a sinister smile crept across my face. Their eyes widened as the shrunk back from me. "Now you four bitches better get out of my sight before I actually get angry."

The four of them took off in a cloud of dust and I happily turned towards my drink again to finish it off. "I'm gonna be gone for the rest of the day Mira." I said, dropping a few coins next to my empty glass. "I've got some business to take care of with my demons."

"What kind of business?" Mira asked curiously.

I smiled and held up a new key. This one was the typical black, but it had almost completely tarnished silver feathers scattered all over it. "I'm contracting a new one today!"

Mira looked excited. "Which one is it this time and how many does that make?" She asked.

"Including my White Keys, this makes twelve Demons I'm contracted to." I said proudly. "It's Semyaza the Fallen Angel, and the seventh Black Key."

* * *

I took a deep breath of the night air as I walked through the woods. I knew for a fact that the Guild was probably panicking at the moment since Loke had most likely quit, but I didn't join in on the initial search. Dante, knowing that I would probably want some time alone if what we suspected was going to happen, had taken off for home almost an hour beforehand, claiming that he wanted to sleep in his own bed after a week on the road.

Instead, I headed for the one place I _knew_ he would come to eventually, if he wasn't already there.

My hunch turned out to be correct, and barely five minutes after I settled down against one of the nearby trees to wait, Loke arrived.

I'll admit it, it was a beautiful place. One of the biggest waterfalls in Fiore that poured out hundreds of gallons of water a minute into a seemingly bottomless hole in the earth right at the furthest edge of the forest. I could see why the guys at Blue Pegasus thought it would be the perfect place to put Karen Lilica's grave.

Loke slowly walked out onto the overhang that held Karen's grave. Before he got more than half way however, I ran up to join him.

"Vega?" He asked, turning towards me with grieving eyes. "What are you doing here?"

I cuffed him gently over the head. "If you think for a second that I'm going to let one of my brothers be alone in their final moments, you're stupider than I thought." I huffed.

His eyes started to water, before he pulled me into a tight hug. "Thank you." He whispered as he buried his face in my hair. I hugged him back tightly, ignoring the tears I felt on my head.

After a second, he pulled away again and took a deep breath, starting the walk forwards again with me at his side. We stopped just in front of the grave, looking at it silently. "You know I never liked her." I said offhandedly. "She was a total bitch to everyone, even her own Guildmates the few times I worked with her."

"Yeah." Loke agreed with a jerky nod. "She wasn't the most likeable of wizards."

"I was always looking for a reason to arrest her." I commented. "Even back then. Just to get her keys away from her. No spirit or demon deserved the hell she put them through while they were under her command."

"That means a lot to me." Loke said, giving me a lopsided sad smile.

We both fell silent as the sound of footsteps rapidly approached us. "There you are!" Lucy yelled as she came into view.

"Lucy." Loke whispered as we both turned to look at her.

"The whole guild is looking for you." the blond said, before she froze and looked at the grave behind us. "That's Karen's grave, isn't it?" Loke froze as Lucy kept talking. "She was a great Celestial Wizard, and she had a contract with you right? The Spirit Loke, wait, that's not really your name. You're name is Leo, Leo the Lion." It wasn't a question.

Loke looked down with a soft smile. "Well, I won't deny it. But how did you find out?"

Lucy smiled. "Don't forget, I'm a Celestial Spirit Wizard too, and I have contracts with a lot of spirits. It wasn't too hard to dig up the truth." Her smile turned into a frown. "Still, you should have come to talk to me about this. Normally whenever the owner of a gate key died the contract between spirit and wizard is terminated. The spirit is then forced back into their world until the key falls into new hands and a contract is made. Your contract with Karen should have ended on the day she died. I don't understand why you're still here. I've never heard of that before! I mean that's just not the way it's supposed to work right?!" Loke let his head fall, making his glasses reflect the light to hide the emotion in his eyes as she continued. "I know your kind can't survive in the human world for long, just like humans can't survive in your world. It'll slowly sap away your life until finally there's nothing left."

Loke gave her a sad smile. "That's right." He said. "And it's been three years now."

Lucy was shocked. "Three years?!" She questioned. "I didn't even think one was possible!"

Loke turned away and looked down as he sighed tiredly. I put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Pretty amazing huh? But I don't have the strength to keep it up."

"Hold on. There's gotta be some way I can save you!" Lucy started. "Why can't I just open a gate for you?! Tell me why you can't go back to the spirit world!" She demanded.

"You don't need to save me." Loke said tonelessly as he turned to look at the grave.

"What do you mean?!" Lucy demanded. "If you don't get some help soon you're as good as dead!"

"Look, there's no way I can go back." Loke said.

"But why?" Lucy asked.

"I broke a fundamental law that applies to both wizard and spirit." He said closing his eyes in regret. "And as a result, I was banished from the Celestial World for eternity." I glowered at that, clenching my fists until my knuckles went white.

"Loke, what did you do?" Lucy asked.

"It's what he didn't do." I said, speaking up for the first time. Lucy looked over at me before Loke started speaking again.

"I can't deny my crime." Loke said, turning to look at her again. "So I have no choice but to face the punishment. I'm a traitor to my own kind. I was contracted to Karen, but she died, because I killed her."

Lucy's eyes blew wide with shock and fear as I growled. "That is not true." I said lowly. Both of them looked at me in askance. "Karen Lilica was a foul, poor excuse for a Celestial Spirit Wizard." I looked over at Lucy. "The kind of excuse that gives us Celestial Wizards a bad name." Lucy's mouth closed into a hard line as her eyes lit up with knowing anger. "She didn't care that Celestial Spirits were their own beings that could feel pain and emotion. She used them as tools and slaves. If she had looked past her own fucking pride and idiocy she would have seen that, and it is her own fucking fault she's dead! The day she left for that mission Master Bob had actually asked me if I could arrest her for the systematic abuse of Class A Magical Beings, and if I had only been a little faster none of this would have happened!" I turned to look at Loke with hard eyes. "It's my fault that I wasn't fast enough to prevent this! So don't you **dare** blame yourself Loke!"

"It is my fault!" Loke said, whirling around to face the grave once again. "It's my fault that I'm like this now. That I can never go back! I came through my gate under my own power one day when she was about to hurt Aries. I refused to return unless she broke her contracts with us and set us free, and stayed out for a month. Karen wasn't strong enough to summon another spirit so long as I was out, and by the end of that month she was desperate for money and took a job regardless. She died on that job because I refused to leave."

"It's not your fault! How many times do I have to tell you that?!" I protested. "You were protecting your friends, you were protecting Aries, and no one with any sense in their minds can fault you for that." I said viciously. "The Demons were cheering you on as you defied her, and they wholeheartedly approve of your decision even now." I let out a humorless laugh. "Hell, your defiance if her wishes inspired the Celestial Demon King to amend that rule for the demons. Any that don't like their contractor's conduct can break their contract and remove their key at any time regardless of the wizard's wishes."

Loke looked at me in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me that before?!" He demanded.

I bit my lip as tears rolled down my face. "Because the Celestial Spirit King hasn't changed the law for Spirits yet." I said softly, my shoulders shaking as I clamped down on the sobs. "The Demon King tried to get him to see reason, but he hasn't budged. Something drastic will have to happen before he changes his mind."

Loke's face fell, before he grunted in pain and fell to the ground. His form started blurring in and out of focus as Lucy and I knelt beside him. "I guess this is it. It's my time."

"What do you mean your time?!" Lucy demanded.

"For me to disappear." Loke said. "Forever."

"You can't just give up!" Lucy demanded.

"Not a day goes by that I don't think about her." Loke said, his voice raspy and full of pain. "I try to stay distracted so it won't constantly be on my mind but it's like she's haunting me." He admitted with a smile. "I've been waiting for this, for my magic energy to finally run out, and now it's about to happen right in front of Karen's grave." He looked up at us, relief and acceptance in his eyes. "Then I be free, free from the guilt that's burdened me. Before I go, I wanna thank you. You've restored my faith in Celestial Wizards Lucy, and Vega, you've been like a little sister to me."

"Wait I can save you! Just don't give up yet!" Lucy tried to reason.

"Please, tell everyone at Fairy Tail I said goodbye." Loke said with a sad, pained, smile.

"It's not fair." I whispered, moving over to hug him one last time.

"It's not fair!" Lucy screamed, echoing me. "I won't let you die! All you have to do is go back to the Celestial World and your life force will be restored right?! There's gotta be a way I can send you back!"

Loke looked at her with wide shocked eyes before he grimaced again. "I'm afraid that's impossible. I broke the law and I'm being punished."

"Even so," Lucy said, letting out a sob. "This isn't right! You didn't kill Karen! It was just an accident! It wasn't your fault!" She lunged over and hugged him alongside me.

"Lucy I-" He started.

" **Open! Gate of the Lion! Take Leo back to the Celestial World!"** She yelled, trying to force her magic into opening a new gate. "Please! **OPEN!** " She screamed out. "Please..." She whispered.

"Calm down." Loke said, wrapping his arms around us. "It won't work, it's okay. I've made my peace with this."

"It's not okay!" Lucy said, breaking away and grabbing his shoulders. "I can't just sit here while my friend disappears right before my eyes!"

The Lucy did something that me looking at her in shock. We were engulfed in golden light as she pushed her magic outwards, sending a pillar up to the heavens. "Lucy! What are you doing?!" I yelled in shock, before it hit me.

The answer!

" **OPEN! GATE OF THE LION!"** She screamed out.

"Stop it!" Loke tried to reason. "You're gonna use up all of your magic energy like this!"

" _Whatever it takes!_ " Lucy yelled, her voice echoing with the power she was putting out. " _I'm going to save you Loke! I'll open your gate! I won't give up!_ _I promise I'm gonna get you to the Celestial World!_ _"_

I started feeding my magic into the air as well, a pillar of black light engulfing me as I let it mingle with Lucy's power. _"_ ** _Gate of the Lion! OPEN!"_** We yelled together. Loke looked at me with wide eyes before turning back to Lucy.

"It's not gonna open for you!" He yelled. "As far as they're concerned I'm responsible for Karen's death! They're not gonna let me go back!" We both ignored him, letting our power soar even higher. "Lucy! Vega! Cut it off! You're starting to assimilate with me! If you don't stop this you're both going to disappear too!"

" _I won't stop 'till the gate's open!"_ Lucy yelled back. _"I won't let you die!_ _What's the point of having magic power...If you can't use it to save the people you care about?!_ _"_

" _You're part of my brood Loke!"_ I growled at him, my eyes starting to glow from the output as I match Lucy's incredible reserves. I looked at him, nearly feral desperation leaking into my voice as I hugged him harder. _"I can't loose another member of my family! Not after Lisanna!"_

"Don't do this!" Loke yelled in a final attempt. "Please don't make me live with the guilt of killing you too!"

" _You didn't kill her!"_ Lucy nearly snarled back. _"Whoever decided you were responsible, needs to know t_ ** _hey were wrong!"_**

The world went silent for a moment as something familiar to me pulsed in response to our magic, making us abruptly stop in shock. The pulse forced us us apart from Loke for a second, before we scrambled back to him. "No way…." I breathed as the stars above us started moving, circling our position as the water from the falls shot up into the sky.

"Woah, what's going on here?!" Lucy asked, her voice teetering on the edge of panic as a bright light engulfed the point the water converged on.

"Impossible." Loke whispered in awe as a huge, intimidating figure appeared before us. "It's him. The Celestial Spirit King. What in the heck is he doing here?!"

He was huge, easily as large as Gramps in his full titan form, maybe even a bit bigger. He was clad in a full set of light colored plate armor overtop dark chain mail. A helm-crown combination decorated with a golden star rested in his head, and a ragged and torn cape was draped across his shoulders. His most prominent feature however, was the large white mustache that he sported.

I got to my feet and looked him in the eyes, completely unafraid even as Loke and Lucy were frozen. "He's the king?" Lucy asked nervously. "Like, the ruler of the Spirit World?"

" **Hello my old friend."** He said, his voice echoing out. **"As you know, both Wizards and Spirits must obey Celestial Law, and taking the life of a Keyholder is forbidden under any circumstance. Though not by your hand, you are still responsible for your Keyholder's death, Leo the Lion. Therefor you have been banished from the Celestial Spirit World for eternity."**

"Bullshit!" I yelled, making all three of them turn to look at me me. "Karen Lilica died due to her own stubborn stupidity! Leo gave her every opportunity to end the contracts she held with her spirits and she left on that job regardless, knowing full well what the consequences might be! I was an hour away from arresting her for the mistreatment and systematic abuse of Class A Magical Beings when she died! Her arrest would have broken her contracts regardless! Even you can't ignore that as it is written in Celestial Law!"

" **And who are you to tell me as such Human Girl?"** He asked, his voice taking on a dangerous tone as he borderline glared down at me.

I met his gaze fearlessly. "Human I may be in outward appearance, but in my heart and soul I am anything **but**! I am Vega Cosmitella, Youngest Daughter of Dragon King Draco and Dragon Queen Celestiana, the first, last, and **only** Celestial Star Dragon Slayer to ever walk the Mortal Plain, the last Celestial Demon Mage in **existence** , and the first **Paladin** **of the Sacred Order** in four centuries." I glared up at him as Lucy and Loke looked at me in shock. "My word carries just as much power as one of the Zodiacs, or one of the Demon Kings! I know Celestial Law as well as you do! And I bore witness when the Celestial Demon King changed that law in response to Leo's actions!"

" **Regardless,"** The Celestial Spirit King said, almost reluctantly. **"I have made my judgment and it stands. Leo has broken Celestial Law."**

This time Lucy stood and glared at him too. "Loke's been suffering in the human world for three long years!" She yelled. "He didn't kill Karen, but he did stand up to her! Because somebody had to protect Aries!"

" **I must say, I find it heartbreaking to see my old friend in such a fragile condition."** I held back a snarl as outrage flashed in Lucy's eyes.

"What is wrong with you?!" She demanded, stepping forwards. "An old friend is still a friend, right?! Well there's one in front of you right now asking for a second chance! So open your eyes Stach-Face!"

I bit down on my lip to stop the laughter as the Spirit King raised a questioning eyebrow. **"Stash Face?"** He questioned.

"Uh, Lucy-" Loke said, nervously trying to interrupt the ranting blond.

"Karen died because she took on a job she couldn't handle!" Lucy said, echoing my earlier statement. "He had nothing to do with it! You have to change your verdict, 'cause he's innocent! Please sir!" She begged, hanging her head as her power started to pulse around her again.

"Just drop it already!" Loke roared out as I stepped up alongside her and my magic started going wild. "It doesn't matter if the verdict is changed! I'm not looking for forgiveness! I wanna disappear and finally be free of this guilt!"

" **I WON'T LET YOU!"** The two of us roared as our magic went completely crazy. **"YOU DISAPPEARING ISN'T GOING TO BRING KAREN BACK TO LIFE! ALL IT'S GOING TO DO IS CREATE MORE SADNESS!"** I opened my eyes as I felt multiple presences around us. Lucy's spirits started appearing around her in flashes of gold, as my demons smiled as me as they appeared in flashes of black and gold. I nodded respectfully to each of my black keys and smiled at my white keys.

My black keys consisted of Alepou, Hydra, Edafos, Medusa, Amia, Ukobach, and Semyaza.

Ukobach was the Ifrit demon, a tall, tanned, and muscular man with short fiery red hair and eyes that were a piercing shade of gold. His upper body was clad in black armor that had a glassy look to it and was cracked in places to reveal molten lava. The first time I had asked him what it actually was out of curiosity, he told me that the black glass was actually obsidian. The lower half of his body was bare, save for a loincloth made of fire held up by a thick sword belt. The sword on the belt was also fairly impressive as it looked like it was made of fire and volcanic rock.

Semyaza on the other hand was a slightly shorter pale skinned man with a more lethal figure and black hair that framed an angular aristocratic face and coal black eyes. His upper body was bare, showing off lean muscles and toned abbs, but also letting the massive pair of black and grey feathered wings on his back move freely. His lower half was clad in loose black pants and black combat boots.

My white keys on the other hand were fairly different.

Sebastian was smirking at me, in his impeccable black suit as always. Bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet next to him was a teenager with dark blue hair, dark blue eyes and slightly fanged teeth that were drawn into a wide grin. A long black tail tufted with bright blue fur whipped back and forth by his feet, and horns of blue fire poking out of his dark hair completed his look. **Rin the Hanyou** and the leader of the White Keys.

Standing next to him with a small smile was a tall spidery looking man with black and red hair, poisonous green eyes, and pale skin. He was wearing a set of black, grey, and red upper body armor, along with skin tight red and black pants. **Ellarius, the Spider.**

A tall teenage girl with dark purple hair, unfocused lavender eyes, tan skin, and black Arabian style clothing, held a crystal ball close as she gave me a slightly dazed, but still dazzling, smile. **Carcara, The Mystic.**

Standing next to her was a young man with light blond hair, pale skin, and intense red eyes dressed in a white fur trimmed jacket, a dark blue shirt, brown cargo pants, and a heavy gold necklace with gold bands around his wrists. He gave me an exasperated frown that didn't really reach his eyes. **Gilgamesh, the Damned King.**

And, for the briefest second, I thought I caught sight of another figure, one just as large as the Spirit King, nod at me in approval with a proud smile before vanishing again.

" **You did nothing wrong! Because it can't be a crime to protect the people you care about!"** Lucy roared before we looked back over our shoulders at Loke. **"What about all of your friends?!"** She demanded. **"You're just gonna leave them?! If you were to die, you'd leave me, Vega, Aries, and everyone else here behind!"**

" **Think about us! And of how miserable we would be without you!"** I added, just before Lucy's magic cut off and she collapsed.

"Lucy!" Loke and I yelled as we rushed over to her.

"Damn it Lucy." I whispered. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I had to try." She groaned back as she struggled to lever herself onto her elbows. "All of my friends who came forwards just now, they feel the same way I do." She said, continuing her rant.

"Your friends?" Loke questioned.

Lucy ignored him however, and turned to glare at the spirit king over her shoulder again. "If you're a celestial spirit too you can sympathize with what Loke and Aries went through." She almost collapsed again, only for Loke to catch her.

"Would you stop?!" He growled all most desperately. "You're gonna end up like Karen if you keep this up! Don't risk your life to save mine!"

The Spirit King chose that moment to speak up again. **"Hearing you speak so highly of my old friend, has led me to believe that maybe my brother was correct, and that it was not his actions but the law itself that should be in question."** All three of our jaws dropped in shock as he continued. **"Leo was forced to commit his crime to protect Aries, his brethren, and the human girl and the dragon paladin were willing to risk their lives to save Leo…. I am so moved by your bonds of loyalty, I shall make an acceptation in this case. Leo the Lion, you are hereby granted return passage to the Celestial World."**

Loke's eyes widened in shock as his shoulders sagged in relief. A bright smile lit up Lucy's face as she laughed. "You're awesome! Thanks Stach-Face!" She yelled.

The Spirit King's face broke into a huge smile at her praise. **"You are exonerate** **d** **!** **Be grateful to the Guidance of the Stars!** **"** He announced before turning to me. **"I will speak to my brother about the law upon my return. I feel that the two of us need to look over a few of the more outdated laws. If we need to, may we call upon you to mediate** **between us** **in your father's** **stead** **?"** I nodded in agreement as he started to fade away again.

"I have to make it up to her!" Loke yelled out after him, his eyes misty with tears he was holding back. "Please sir!"

" **Very well. If you insist on atoning for the actions of your past, then I hereby order you to live your life in the service of your friend, the human girl."** Loke let out a gasp as he let go and the tears slipped down his cheeks. **"You are lucky to have found such loyal friends. I suggest you protect her with your life, as they fought to protect yours."** With those last words, he completely vanished, and gravity went back to normal. The water in the falls started flowing again, and the stars went back to normal.

Lucy and I looked over at Loke with identical smirks. "You heard him." We chorused happily.

I turned my eyes back to the grave in front of us as the sun peeked over the horizon, and for the briefest second I could have sworn I saw Karen smiling before she disappeared. The three of us climbed back to our feet. "Hey Lucy?" Loke said, holding out his hand.

"Hm?" Lucy asked, taking it.

Loke smiled. "I just wanted to say thank you." He said as he vanished in a shower of white light. Lucy looked back down at her hand once he was gone, and smiled at the shinning Golden Zodiac Key that he slipped into it.

* * *

"You're a Celestial Spirit?!" Natsu said when Lucy showed up at the guild the next day.

"No way! Really?!" Happy echoed.

Loke rubbed the back of his head as he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry I didn't tell you before." He apologized.

"It's alright man." Erik said, smiling slightly. "Guess our rivalry is over for now huh?" Loke nodded apoligectily.

"Ah ha!" Natsu exclaimed, examining him closely. "So that must be why I felt so weird whenever we switched bodies huh?!"

"Yeah I guess so." Loke said.

"Gotta say," Gray started. "I'm surprised I never caught on to you."

"Honestly so am I." Loke admitted. "Out over everyone here only Vega actually realized what I was."

"How come you're not a cow or a horse or a crab? You're just a dude!"

"Virgo has a human form too." Loke reasoned. "It's not like we're all animals."

"You say that, but I've seen her turn into a gorilla!" Natsu countered.

"She's not really a gorilla." Loke tried to say.

"Loke here is actually a Lion Spirit." Lucy explained.

"Seriously?!" Natsu said.

"A lion is like a grown up cat right?!" Happy questioned, on the verge of panicking.

"Yup! You've got it." Loke said cheerfully.

"Don't lie to him!" Lucy demanded as Erik started to laugh.

"Oh you're the coolest spirit ever!" Happy said as he went into hero worship mode.

"Shouldn't you be restin' up back in the Celestial World right now?" Gray questioned.

"I'm doing a lot then I was, I just wanted to come say hi." Loke said. "Well, that and I wanted to see Lucy again." Lucy blushed slightly.

"He looooves you!" Happy said.

Lucy glowered. "Shut it cat, or you're gonna get hurt!" She threatened lowly, before squeaking slightly as Loke swept her into his arms.

"Excuse us!" He said as he started walking towards the door with her in his arms. "We need to have a little chat about our future together!"

Erik let out a low growl and with a laugh I put a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from following them. "They're just going to discuss the contract." I soothed, making him relax slightly.

I turned back towards the bar to pick up my scotch as Dante landed on my shoulder again. "So, the Spirit King really asked you to mediate his discussion with the Demon King over the Celestial laws?" He asked curiously as he dug into the plate of chicken Mira had set next to me.

I nodded. "If everything goes well, I'll back home in a week or two."

"Hey Vega!" Erik yelled. I looked over at him and his team. "Wanna come with us to the beach? Kage can come along too if he wants!"

I smiled, thinking it over for a second, before I shrugged. "Sounds like a good idea to me, and I've got a few days to spare before I'm needed again. I could use a vacation."


	61. Blast from the Past

**I just realized that this story is over 1 year old now...**

 **...Wow, 61 chapters and over 100,000 words! Not too shabby if you ask me.**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, however Vega, Dante, and Bella belong to me. The Black Keys belong to _fairytailcrossover,_ and the White Keys are easily recognized from various anime!**

* * *

I stretched out on the beach in my black bikini, enjoying the feeling of the warm sunshine on my skin. Dante let out a sigh of happiness as he sipped at the glass of apple juice in his paws.

"Man, we never get to relax like this!" He said happily.

I let out a sigh of agreement as I rolled over onto my stomach. My eyes were half open as I surveyed everyone else. Out on the water Lucy was having the time over her life wakeboarding with Natsu and Erik. Well, with Erik at least since Natsu looked like he wanted to keel over and loose his lunch to the sea. Erik on the other hand had one arm around her as the both held onto the rope pulling them. Erza, Gray, and Jellal were playing volleyball nearby, taking care not to let the ball come close to hitting me.

"Hey Vega?" Dante asked. I looked over at him. "How come Kage didn't wanna come?"

I rolled back over onto my back before answering. "Kage isn't really a fan of the beach. He said something about there being too much light and heat for his taste." I said, sighing as I started to fall asleep in the heat and sunlight. "I understand why though, he's a shadow mage, not a light mage." I opened my mouth and took a quick bite of all the energy around me before taking a sip of the drink next to me. I sighed again in appreciation. "Sun, sand, the sparkling sea, as much sunlight as I can eat, and great alcohol, we are definitely coming back here Dante! It's paradise!" He nodded in agreement.

I took in another deep breath of the scents around me, and promptly fell asleep, almost purring in contentment.

* * *

Hours later, I was getting ready for a night out in mine, Erza, Lucy, and Bella's suite. With swift movements I put my loop around dragon earrings into my ears, buckled my lightning bolt choker into place, and slipped into my silver high heels. I smiled at the mirror, checking over my strapless dark blue evening gown one last time, running my fingers through my hair to make it stand up a little more before nodding in satisfaction.

"Hey Erza are you ready yet?" I said, walking out onto the balcony before pausing. Erza was sound asleep, but she was twitching and breathing heavily. "Erza?" I asked, lightly touching her shoulder. Erza sat up abruptly, breathing heavily with wide terrified eyes. "Easy Erza." I said, taking a step back. "It was just a nightmare."

She looked down at her wrists. "Just a dream." She said, trying to assure herself.

I frowned sadly at her. "You went back to that time, didn't you?" I asked.

She nodded, not looking up at me. "I must have fallen asleep without realizing." She said, before shaking her head and getting up. As we walked back into the room she stopped in front of the mirror for a moment and smiled before reequipping back into her armor. "I always feel more at ease wearing armor." She commented, before smiling at me humorlessly. "Though as a wardrobe choice I guess it's not the most feminine." I shook my head with a smile as someone knocked.

"Erza, Vega get out of the room and come have some fun!" Lucy said, looking inside. "Natsu, Gray, Erik, and Jellal are downstairs, wanna go find them and play some games?" She was dressed in a floor length dark red evening gown with a slit showing her right leg almost up to the hip. A dark red ribbon choker was around her neck, and has switched out her white bow with a matching dark red version. Black high heels completed her outfit.

"Looking good Lucy." I said, raising an eyebrow. "You're gonna make Erik's jaw drop when we go downstairs." A dark red blush painted her cheeks.

"That's right, there's a casino here isn't there." Erza said, before she smiled. "In that case..." She was quickly covered in the light from her requip magic. When the light died down, she was dressed in a floor length halter top purple ball gown with elaborate red designs and her hair was held up in a pony tail. "So, how do I look?" She asked.

"Uh, you look great, maybe a little on the glitzy side, but whatever." Lucy said, almost deadpanning.

"Well, I think you look gorgeous." I said with a slightly evil smile. "Jellal is gonna forget how to breath when he lays eyes on you." Erza blushed bright red as I walked towards the door with a laugh.

* * *

Turns out I was right about Erik and Jellal's reactions cause as soon as Erza and Lucy walked out, their jaws dropped. I held in my laughter as we moved through the floor, Natsu and Happy drifting over to the slots, Gray opting to go for poker along with Erik while Lucy and Bella accompanied them, and Jellal, Erza, Dante, and I hit up the blackjack tables.

To my surprise, only about an hour into our fun I saw Gray moving towards the bar accompanied by a familiar blue haired mage before they disappeared from sight.

I looked up as the sounds of an explosion and screams reached my ears and the floor went silent. "What the hell?" I turned around in my seat, looking for my friends.

"What's the commotion about?" Erza questioned turning around to look.

"It sounds like the parade has started outside!" one of the mascots said.

"A parade doesn't have terrified screams." I said, getting out of my seat. "Something's wrong, we need to find the others." They nodded.

"Now don't go just yet." The dealer said as he switched out with the last one. "I've got a special game for you folks tonight." He dealt out the cards, and my eyes widened as they spelled out death. "And while we're at it what do you say we raise the stakes a bit higher sister, brothers?"

I recognized him in an instant. It wasn't hard to from the missing posters in every guild hall and the way Jellal, Erza, and Erik stiffened in shock. He was young, about Erik's age with tanned skin, spikey bond hair, one pierced ear and dark grey almost black eyes. He was dressed in the same suit that ever dealer was wearing. His most designating mark however, was the black dragon-like tattoo on his lower lip.

"It can't be. Sho?" Erza questioned, her voice barely above a whisper "Is that you?"

"Where have you been?" Erik questioned clearly in shock. "The guys over at Blue Pegasus told us you and the others went missing nearly two years ago!"

"So, they're actually been looking?" Sho said, his lips twitching into an amused smile as his dark green eyes seemed to flash a bright crystal blue for a moment and making me rear back in shock.

"Guys..." I said slowly, eyeing him warily as I started feeling out the area with my magic. "I don't think Sho is in control right now, or alone."

"So perceptive." Sho said, his voice changing completely as his eyes stayed crystal blue. Instead of the tenor of a young man, he sounded like cool soprano an young woman. "I see why my associate never managed to get her hands on your friend there, even if he was her much preferred host." He nodded towards Jellal, who's eyes widened in shock, before narrowing in anger.

"If you've hurt them, **any** of them, I swear to the gods-" The Heavenly Body Mage started to threaten.

"Now now." He said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Other than a few scrapes and bruises none of them are hurt." He smirked evilly. "At least, not physically. I'm afraid that my favored method of possession is very taxing on my host's mind however, so they may not be all that sane if they're snapped out of it." Suddenly, everything went dark, and a gunshot sounded out.

"NATSU!" I heard Happy scream.

"A gunshot?" Lucy questioned.

"What's going on?" Erza demanded.

"What the heck?" I questioned as the lights flickered on once again to show an empty room. We were the only one's left. "Where did everyone go?"

"He's gone!" Erik said, whirling looking at where Sho had stood.

"But where?" Jellal questioned.

"I'm right here brothers, sister." We whirled around, Jellal and Erik gently pushing Erza and Lucy behind them as they snarled at the blond. He was smirking sadistically as he carelessly let the cards in his hands fall ot the ground. Dozens of panicking voices sounded out from the cards.

"Oh no." Erza breathed.

"He trapped them inside the cards!?" Lucy asked.

Erik's growl deepened. "Sho was a dark wizard tracker for the magic council." He explained. "That is his favorite way to detain dark wizards until he could hand them over to the Rune Knights."

"Cool huh?" Sho asked.

"Meow." A spell circle appeared under Lucy's feet and a rope sprung up to wrap around her tightly.

"Lucy!" Erik yelled, whirling around to help her, before a second rope grabbed him, pulling him back to slam into a pillar, and knocked the wind out of him. He sagged against the ropes as they tightened around him, gasping for breath.

"Let them go!" Erza demanded.

My eyes narrowed in a glare as the caster of the spell. "We'll aren't you all rosy?" she asked. It was a young woman with light brown hair that was styled into two cat ears, pale skin, dark black eyes, and two red markings on both cheeks. She was wearing a pink spaghetti strap tank top that had blue paw prints on it, a bow resting just blow the plunging v-neck, and a short ruffled light pink skirt. Her legs were covered in thigh high knee socks and dark blue ankle boots, while overtop her tank top was a yellow half-jacket with dark blue trim. Around her neck was a dark blue choker with an oversized gold bell.

"Milliana?" Erza questioned, before frowning darkly. "Mermaid Heel was panicking when she disappeared."

"Oh Erzy," Milliana purred, her dark eyes turning crystal blue. "It's been too long."

My hand lit up with faint light as one of my black keys flashed into my hand, before suddenly I was grabbed by an unseen force and my arm was roughly wrenched behind my back. I hissed in pain and started to struggle before freezing as I felt the barrel of a gun press up against my temple.

"Wally?" Jellal asked, his voice soft with disbelief. "That thing got you too?"

"And what a pleasure it is to see you again too Jellal!" The polygon man said. The only part of him I could see was the dark blue sleeve that was aiming the gun at my head. "Now, I believe that we have business to attend to."

"Yes, we do." Erza said, her expression dark. "Let. Them. Go." Her voice was dark and threatening.

"Gladly." Sho said, a dark grin on his face. "Just as soon as you surrender." Jellal let out a low almost snarl and took a step forwards, but he froze as Wally pressed the gun a little harder against my temple, making my eyes widen. Erik's snarling abruptly cut off as the rope around his neck tightened, and Lucy fell to the ground struggling against her ropes. "Ah ah ah!" Sho said almost teasingly as Jellal and Erza's eyes widened. "One wrong move and we kill them. Even you aren't fast enough to save them all. Could you really live with yourselves if you let that happen?"

Jellal's hands clenched into fists until his knuckles turned white, and Erza bit her lip to stop herself from speaking. After a moment's hesitation, the two of them relaxed and looked at each other with questioning eyes. "Fine." Jellal said shortly, his tone clipped and dark with anger. "We'll go with you, just as soon as you release them!" He demanded.

"Who cares about them?" Sho snarled again. "We want the three of you, sister, brothers." Erik's eyes blew wide as Wally pulled the gun away from my head and aimed it at Lucy instead.

"Listen ta him, don't make this get ugly." Wally said shortly as a square red dot appeared on Lucy's forehead. My arm was pushed a little further as I started to struggle, making my vision swim from the pain.

"No! Don't hurt her!" Erza said, her voice almost desperate. "No! Please listen to me Wally! I-" Erza's voice cut off as a gun shot sounded and my eyes widened as she fell limply to the floor.

"ERZA!" Jellal yelled, before a second shot rang out and he fell too.

Wally let go of my arm to grab my neck in a sleeper hold. My vision swam and turned black as I heard Lucy scream and Erik's nearly feral snarl was abruptly cut off by a third shot.

I felt him release me, and I slumped to the floor into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **Third Person POV:**

Out in the middle of the ocean, a tall imposing tower rose above the sea. Human and monster guards patrolled the boundaries, of the small island, dilligently keeping watch. Up in the highest room of the tower, a servant phased up out of the floor. "Mistress Seilah, we have received word that the mission to retrieve Erza, Jellal, and Erik has been completed. They are returning as we speak." He said with a bow.

Seilah smirked, chuckling slightly.

"I must ask." The servant inquired curiously. "What are we to gain by capturing those three? Disposing of them would have been easy work for someone of your power."

Seilah chuckled again. "There is a purpose for everything I do." She said shortly.

"Yes ma'am." The servant said, bowing again.

"However, with the Tower of Heaven finally almost complete once again, Erza Scarlet remains as the key to my success. Jellal will serve as a witness to her death before my dear sister returns to claim her favored host. With Vega out of the picture, nothing will stop her this time."

"And Erik?" The servant questioned. "What of him?"

Seilah's smirk was all teeth as she let out a loud bark of laughter. "Brain was quite pleased to hear that his missing property was found and captured. He is on his way now to claim the Cobra by any means necessary, as he should have done seven years ago."

She threw her head back with an insane laugh. "The time has come at long last!" She yelled, her laughter ringing through the air. "Erza Scarlet is the perfect sacrifice to ensure my dreams become a reality!"

* * *

 **Erik's POV:**

I came back to awareness all at once, an instinct long engrained into my mind, and immediately felt the chains and cuffs that held my arms behind my back, the metal mask/gag that was forcibly keeping my mouth shut, and the collar around my neck that was also attached to what felt like a pillar behind me. Against every instinct I had, I stayed limp, kept my eyes closed, and forced my breath into a slow and even pace, faking unconsciousness as I heard the roar of water around me. As much as I dared, I took in a slow and deep breath through my nose, quickly cataloging the room around me, and opened my eyes just barely so I could see.

Jellal was across from me, clearly still unconscious as he wasn't struggling against the ropes that held him to the pillar he was tied too. In between us, Erza was tied to yet another pillar, and from the looks of it she was slowly coming around. All three of us were still in our formal clothes from the casino.

As I was taking all this in, Erza came awake, and Sho entered the room. "This place, where are we?" She asked, looking around.

"Inside the hold of a ship as sea." Sho offered.

"A ship?" She questioned.

"That's right." Sho confirmed. "And our course is set for the Tower of Heaven."

"What?!" Erza said, her eyes going wide with fear. "But that place was destroyed years ago! Vega obliterated the entire island right before our eyes!"

"And Mistress Seilah rebuilt it." Sho said, his eyes blank. "Even now we make the final preparations to activate it. You, are the key to those plans."

"And what about them?" Erza asked, nodding over towards me and Jellal. "If I'm the one you wanted, why did you take Jellal and Erik?"

As Sho's back was turned, Jellal started to stir in his bonds, and groggily tugged at his ropes as his mind rapidly cleared. His dark brown eyes widened in realization before he went limp again.

"Jellal was chosen to become the host of Lady Kyoka all those years ago." Sho continued, turning to look at the faking unconscious Heavenly Body Mage. "With that accursed paladin Vega out of the way, she can finally take control of what should have been hers."

"And Erik?" Erza asked, her voice shaking with barely concealed rage.

I could almost hear the smirk on Sho's face as he walked towards me. Every instinct in me screamed to move and do something as he grabbed my chin and forced my head up to look at me. I stayed limp and unresponsive as he huffed and released me. "Brain seemed quite eager to claim what should have been his all those years ago." I barely stopped myself from reacting at that, with just the slightest twitch the only thing betraying my instincts as he started to walk away.

"For what it's worth Erza," He said, turning back to us before he dropped to his knees and hugged her to our shock. "I'm sorry it has to be you. I never wanted this to happen." As I watched, his eyes flickered back to dark green and tears dripped down his cheeks. After a moment he got up again, his eyes turning crystal blue again

My eyes snapped open the same time Jellal's did, startling Erza as a low enraged growl sounded from my throat.

"You're awake?" She questioned before her eyes turned hard. "How long?"

"Right after Sho came in." Jellal answered, I shrugged before trying to do something Vega and I had been practicing for the last few weeks.

I took in a deep breath, and let it out, focusing on what I wanted to happen. A small, red, almost invisible magic circle flared to life on my temple. _'_ _Can you two hear me?'_ I thought.

Jellal and Erza looked over at me with wide eyes. "How are you doing that?" Jellal asked.

 _'Don't answer out loud! Think it!'_ I snapped back. _'I don't want to risk them hearing us!'_

 _'How?'_ Erza demanded.

 _'Vega and I have been practicing this for awhile now. I'm still not all that good at it, but I can make do since it's tecniqually a more advanced part branch of Sound Magic. I can keep us connected, but you **can not** react to it **at all**! If they even **suspect** I can use telepathy they'll slap a magic inhibitor on me faster than you could say shit!'_

 _'What are we going to do?'_ Jellal questioned. _'We can't actually hurt them! They're all under the control of someone called Seilah.'_

 _'I know.'_ I thought back almost viciously. _'But at least you can't hear them screaming for help in their own heads!'_

I could feel Erza's shock. _'They're aware of what's going on?'_

 _'_ _Completely.'_ I affirmed. _'_ _An_ _d_ _ **SHE**_ _do_ _es_ _n't know that I know_ _yet_ _.'_


	62. The R-System

**Third Person POV:**

 **Era:** **Headquarters of t** **he Magic Council;**

Nine of the ten council members were gathered in their tower, one spot was open as one member was missing.

"Are you saying that it still exists? But that's impossible!"

"About a decade ago, construction began on the R-System, a structure designed by a cult of Black Magic users."

"But we had all seven of those towers destroyed! And when the eighth was discovered Council Member Vega personally razed it to the ground before annihilating the island itself! There shouldn't even be ruins left!"

An observation orb fazed into existence in the center of the circle, revealing the horrifying image.

"Evidently one has been rebuilt. Namely the one in the waters near Ka-Elm that Vega allegedly destroyed."

"The Rune Knights surveyed that area not even a month ago! How did we miss it?! Is the structure close to completion?"

"I'm afraid I don't know. Our team mysteriously went missing after sending these images."

"Well, it looks finished to me." Ultear commented off-handedly.

"But why would they revive the R-System after all this time?"

"The Tower of Heaven." Simon commented, crossing his arms across his chest as he looked down, hiding his eyes from view. "It's not the R-System, it's the Tower of Heaven to be clear."

"It makes no difference what it's called! It utilizes forbidden magic! There would be chaos if word got out that it still exists!"

"We'll have to find a way to subdue them. I suggest we dispatch the military."

"That's not an option."

"What do you mean?!"

"We'd be putting our soldiers in danger because we don't know who we're dealing with here! According to our latest intelligence, the black magic cult thought to be responsible for the R-System is not occupying the tower."

"They're not?! Just who is then?"

"It's a group of Wizards, apparently led by a woman named Seilah."

Simon shuttered as the older members reared back in shock.

"Seilah, isn't that the name of the woman that tried to..."

"Unfortunately yes." He answered, closing his eyes in contemplation. "It's the name of the woman who tried to kill me."

"Council members!" A Rune Knight said, bursting into the room and interrupting them. "We've just received word from Akane Resort! Council Woman Cosmitella and a few of her guild mates were attacked, and multiple civilians were taken hostage before the perpetrators escaped!"

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

I snapped awake in an instant, keeping my eyes closed even as I readied myself to leap into action and kick the asses of anyone stupid enough to approach me, until I caught the scents around me and relaxed.

Lucy, Gray, Natsu, and someone else that was somewhat familiar. The sounds of the ocean all around me filled my ears as my stomach lurched for a moment before calming down.

I let my eyes slide open before shutting them again with a groan, the bright light making my already pounding headache even worse.

"Vega! You're awake!" Lucy said happily as I reached up a hand and rubbed at my temples.

"Yeah, and the headache I've got is about to split my head open." I opened my eyes again, surveying the group around me with appraising eyes. Gray, Lucy, and a seasick Natsu. Oh, and Juvia of the Great Sea. "So, one of you wanna explain what happened after I was knocked out?"

"The guys who attacked us knocked out Jellal, Erza, and Erik, that crazy cat chick took Dante, Bella, and Happy, and then they left. We let the military know about the people who got caught in the crossfire, and how the ones who attacked us weren't doing so willingly." Gray said, his face stony. "They assured us that they'll handle breaking the spell over the civilians, but they want you to call in as soon as possible." He handed me a Communication Lacrima.

I took in a deep breath to center and steel myself before activating it.

When the picture came into focus, I was staring at the rest of the magic council. _"_ _Council Woman Cosmitella,_ _it's good to see you up and about. W_ _hat is your status?"_

"Well," I said slowly. "I've got a **pounding** migraine, **six** of the members of my group have been taken, and the rest of us are on a **rowboat** in the middle of **fuckall** _**nowhere**_ trying to track their kidnappers. What does **that** tell you?" I drawled with a harsh flat glare.

 _"Um, that we probably should listen instead of order right now?"_ One of them asked nervously.

"Good answer." I nearly snarled. "I will keep the council posted, but do not make **any** decisions about this situation without my input! I have reason to believe that the one pulling the strings has a mole within the council, and all of the Wizards under her command are being controlled via possession." The council's faces darkened at the implications as I said that.

 _"Understood Vega."_ The cut the connection after that. I looked up at the shocked faces of the others.

"You're on the Magic Council?" Lucy asked softly, voicing the question that was within their minds.

I let out a sigh. "Yes." I relented. "It's required for at least one of the Wizard Saints to be part of the Magic Council at all times and I was the one who drew the short straw. I'll be part of the Council until my death or the current Council's disbandment, after which new Council Men and Women will be chosen at random."

"I still can't believe how easily they were able to knock us out and kidnap the others." Gray said, hanging his head in disappointment. "We're pathetic."

"No, no we aren't." I said, cutting off Juvia as she went to open her mouth. "We were caught off guard. This was supposed to be a vacation, so none of us were watching for the signs. Even then, there were too many civilians around us to even consider all out battle. Surrendering was the wisest course of action they could have taken." My face darkened as my head throbbed again. "Fortunately and unfortunately the one controlling them was more interested in kidnapping them instead of hurting us, but had no qualms about doing so to insure their cooperation."

Lucy switched out with Gray as she started pumping her magic into the boat. "Those goons who attacked us said they were old friends of theirs." She said, her face downcast. "Which makes me wonder, if we know them any better than Juvia does."

I looked over at her, frowning slightly. "You know a hell of a lot more." I said softly. "This is about their past, and it's a story that I shouldn't tell because it's not mine."

It was that moment that I felt something pulse through the air. Apparently Natsu felt is as well because he suddenly stood up, his motion sickness completely forgotten. "What the...? I just got a weird feeling." He said, looking around and studying everything to see where the threat was.

"I felt it too." I muttered as we started sailing into overcast waters.

That was when the birds started dropping out of the sky. "The birds..." Lucy gasped, putting a hand up to her mouth to hide the shock.

"What's happenin' to them?" Gray questioned. That was when I took a quick sniff and looked down as the boat hit something. "Not the fish too!"

"I've never seen anything like it!" Juvia said.

That was when I spied the emblem on the wreckage around us. "That's wreckage from a Fiore Navel ship." I said in shock before I frowned darkly. "We're getting close."

"Okay, I'm creeped out." Lucy whispered.

"Hey, what's that?" Natsu questioned. We all glanced at him, before turning our eyes in the direction he was looking.

"It's the Tower of Heaven." I said, my eyes starting to glow with anger. "We're here."

"I'll protect us." Juvia said, lifting up a hand as a magic Circle sprung from her fingertips. Water lifted out of the sea and condensed above us, forming a dome. "My Water Dome will keep us from being seen."

"Nice work Juvia." Lucy commented.

My dark expression grew darker as we sailed ever closer.

* * *

 **Erik's POV:**

I thrashed and fought as dozens of guards dragged me out of the ship's hold by the chains and ropes they wrapped around me. I could feel Cubellios shifting under my clothes until she was wrapped around my left ankle, safe from the chains. My eyes blew wide and I struggled harder, digging my heels into the ground to try and brace against their grip as I just barely stopped myself from freezing in terror at the sight before me.

My childhood hell, rebuilt from the rubble my sister had left it in.

Just ahead of me, I could see Erza and Jellal frozen in shock at the sight. "The Tower of Heaven." Jellal whispered. "They actually rebuilt and completed it?"

"I don't know why you're so surprised." Sho drawled. "It's been rebuilt for roughly six months now." He turned towards the guards. "Take him down to the dungeons to secure him, and be careful." He glared at me as my eyes started glowing. "We don't want him to escape just when Brain is expecting to take him back after all these years." One of them walked up closer and managed to trip me, sending me reeling as they took advantage of that and started dragging me towards one of the doors.

"LET GO OF HIM!" Jellal yelled, surging forwards before a few ropes lashed around him and pulled him back.

"Now now." Milliana purred, snuggling the three still knocked out Exceeds in her arms as she smiled menacingly. "There's no need for that." She pulled him around to face her. "After all, it wouldn't do for one of our guests of honor be late to their own appointment."

"Come on Milly Doll," Wally said, smiling almost sadistically as I was dragged away. "The Ceremony ain't 'till later! We got plenty of time!"

 _'Ceremony?'_ Erza thought as they started leading her and Jellal away. _'They're going to activate the R-System?!'_

 _'If they think we're just going to sit back and let this happen,'_ Jellal thought darkly. _'They've got another damn thing coming. Erik are you going to be alright?_

 _'_ _Don't worry about me.'_ I thought to Erza and Jellal as I heard the doors shut behind me. _'I'll be fine, just sit tight_ _and save your strength_ _until the others get here. If it comes down to it, Vega will rip this place_ _ **stone by stone**_ _apart to get us back.'_ They walked me down the stairs towards the hell I used to know, I inadvertently started remembering what had happened that day...

The day I first met Brain.

* * *

 _I huddled in the corner of our cell, running a hand over Cubellios' head as we stayed out of sight. The guards had been pissed off earlier for some reason, and none of the adults would tell me why. Now however, they seemed almost excited._

 _"As you can see, we have many different slaves for you to choose from." I heard a faint voice say as footsteps approached our cell. "Are you sure that the ones you want are here?"_

 _"I am positive." A deeper voice said. I looked up as the footsteps got closer, and started to press myself even further into the corner as they stopped at the door. He was huge, easily over 7 feet tall and with defined muscles. His skin was dark, contrasting with his neat silver hair that hung down to his shoulders. His eyes were dark, and I shivered unconsciously as they slid over everyone else and settled on me._

 _"That one." He said, nodding at me. My eyes widened in fear as the guards stepped in to retrieve me. I scrambled back, my eyes narrowing into a dark glare as they approached, catching the attention of the man once again. "Hm." He huffed with a small smile. "It seems your spirit is not yet broken maggot." He said, giving me a terrifying smile. "I will be back for him in two months." He said softly, turning away. The guards looked at him, then looked at me again in apprehension._

 _"Are you sure Brain?" The guard captain asked. "It would be wise to take him now, before the work breaks him completely."_

 _Brain's smile just grew even wider. "That's exactly what I want." He said shortly, turning around and walking away._

* * *

I struggled even harder as they started pulling me into a familiar cell, remembering the last time I had been there as they lashed more and more ropes and chains around me.

* * *

 _Barely a week after Brain had left, I was sitting back in my cell after a hard day of the backbreaking work, once again petting Cubellios, when the sounds of explosions rang through the air. Everyone jumped to their feet as dozens of other slaves rushed past the cell doors, one of them briefly stopping to unlock it as they all scrambled to find makeshift weapons. "What's going on?" I asked as I sprinted to catch up with a few of the other kids._

 _"Someone finally snapped!" One of them, a girl slightly older than me smiled brilliantly. "She kicked the asses of the guards after they took her friend away!"_

 _My eyes widened as I hit the ground floor. The entire place was in absolute chaos, with slaves and guards battling all around us. I joined up with a group made almost entirely of other children. The few adults that were with us were older, and were more concerned with keeping us together and away from the worst of the battle._

 _Unfortunately however, the worst of the battle came to us instead. We tried to watch each other's backs, but before long we were staring down a few of the corpse guards on our own. Cubellios squeezed my arm comfortingly, trying to reassure me as they shot a bolt of energy at us._

 _I closed my eyes, waiting for the_ _painful_ _impact,_ _when a startlingly clear voice shouted._ _ **"Star Dragon's Shield!"**_ _My eyes snapped open in shock,_ _taking in the sight of slightly older girl that was standing in front of us._ _She was definitely_ _not_ _a slave._ _H_ _er skin was tanner than ours, her clothes weren't rags,_ _and her hair was sleek and healthy while her_ _electric purple_ _eyes_ blazed _with_ _defiant_ _spirit..._

* * *

I shook my head to clear out the memories as the guards latched the chains onto the walls, wrenching my arms apart and locking them into place before attaching more of the chains to the floor, holding me in place. My eyes widened in fear as one of the stepped up to me with a pair of magic suppressor cuffs, snapped them onto my wrists, and activated them.

I slumped against the chains as half of my energy was instantly drained away. _'_ _Gods damn it.'_ I thought viciously. _'Vega, you better hurry the hell up!'_

* * *

 **Erza's POV:**

Jellal and I were marched to a familiar cell several stories above the ground.

"The ceremony will take place later tonight." Sho said as they hooked the ropes binding my hands together onto a stake on the wall. To my right, they wrestled Jellal into the waiting magic suppressor cuffs that were driven to the walls. "You two will be staying here until then."

 _'By the gods, they really are going to activate the R-System!'_ I thought.

"After all, you are the guest of honor tonight Erza." Sho said, his face lighting up with a demented grin. "Lady Seilah has chosen you to be the sacrifice. I'm sad I won't ever see you again, but you're going to help us get to heaven." Despite the explicit control I had, I started trembling slightly from rage and fear. Sho noticed this and smirked slightly. "Oh, you're trembling." He commented. "Are you afraid of being sacrificed? Or does this cell bring back memories?"

I shook my head banishing the images of my hellish childhood that threatened to assault my mind as Jellal let out a snarl. "You're the one who ended up being punished even though I came up with the plan." Sho said almost sadly. "But I was too scared to say anything. I'm sorry, it was my fault."

"Don't be stupid Sho." I said, giving him a small smile. "I forgave you for that a long time ago. It's in the past, but right now I need you to fight whatever hold that witch has on you. Besides that, it's incredibly dangerous to resurrect someone using the R-System!"

Sho's eyes flashed crystal blue as his voice changed. "Well done." The cool soprano drawled as he leaned towards me with a sadistic smirk. "You are clearly far shaper than I first assumed. I didn't expect you to know what it's purpose was, that's quite a surprise."

"The Revive System." I said shortly, forcibly keeping my gaze on Sho as I saw Jellal look at me in shock out of the corner of my eye. "In exchange for countless sacrifices it brings a single person back from the dead. It is inhumane forbidden back magic!"

"Sure it's inhumane!" Sho drawled. "But who ever said Magic had to humane for a Demon!" Sho's smirk took on a vicious, feral edge. "I happen to believe Magic wears away at one's humanity!"

"That's a Black Magic philosophy!" Jellal snarled lunging at Sho and jerking at his chains. "Why would a Demon of your caliber stoop to that level?!"

Sho just chuckled. "Don't compare me to those idiots." He said, the laughter in his voice and the light that gleamed in his eyes bordering on insanity. "They thought this tower, this masterpiece, was only good for Resurrection Magic! My kind know far better than that! The amount of energy that I can draw from it already is simply incredible! I haven't felt this powerful in centuries!" He turned to face the door, and I started levering myself up the wall. "And once I activate the tower and revive _him_ , the world will be reborn and he will reward us for our loyalty all these years! The Cultists who kept you, your friend the Dragon Slayer, and my current hosts as prisoners for all those years, your loved ones, the citizens who live their _entire_ _lives_ _blissfully_ _ignorant_ , those _fools_ on the Magic Council! I will put **FEAR AND SORROW INTO HE HEARTS OF EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!** **THEY'LL** **ALL BOW BEFORE US AS WE C** **UT DOWN ALL WHO WOULD STAND AGAINST US!** "

As he cackled madly, I finally slipped off the hook and lunged at him. He tried to dodge, but I landed a hit so hard that it sent him reeling back to crash into the bars of the cell and knock him unconscious. Using my teeth, I ripped the rope off and rubbed my aching wrists. "Sho," I whispered. "I'm sorry I had to do that since you aren't in control, but it was nessicary." I slipped the cord holding the keys from around his neck and unlocked Jellal's cuffs.

He rubbed his sore wrists, as he stepped to stand beside me and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "We'll save them." He said, his eyes hard as he stared down at our unconscious friend.

My eyes narrowed as I equip into my basic armor. "One way or another, the nightmare of the R-System ends here."


	63. Chaos in the Tower

**Hey guys. Yeah, I know what you're thinking and you're totally right.**

 **I'm a bitch for making you wait this long.**

 **This arc is hard as all hell to figure out! My muse just doesn't want to work with me!**

 **As always my lovelies, I don't own Fairy Tail, _fairytailcrossover_ owns the Celestial Demons, and Bella, Dante, and Vega are mine.**

 **Dante's POV:**

When I finally woke up, I let out a screech at the utterly terrifying sight that surrounded me, waking up Happy and Bella who were snoozing alongside me. "WHAT KIND OF TWISTED HELL IS THIS?!"

"Where are we?" Happy asked, looking around with fear filled eyes.

Bella looked around with a raised eyebrow and a trickle of sweat rolling down her forehead. "I'm having odd flashbacks to that one job in Budapest." She said nervously as she looked around at the cat _everything_ all around us.

"You and I remember Budapest _very_ differently." I said, reaching down to grasp the handle of my sword but freezing when it met an empty scabbard. "Fuck." I hissed furiously.

"Meow!" A voice said from our left.

"AH! A CREEPY CAT GIRL!" All three of us screamed, our fur standing on end as we hugged each other.

"So how are you feeling?" She asked, tilting her head like a curious puppy as she smiled.

"Well, I've been better." Happy answered without thinking.

The crazy chick squealed before grabbing him in a suffocating hug and shaking him back and forth as he protested viciously. "OOH I'VE GOT A TALKING KITTY!"

Bella and I sweat dropped as he struggled, our fur gradually lying flat once again. I snapped to attention, sliding into a defensive stance as Bella did the same beside me as another voice broke in. "Milly, Doll, better let go 'fore you knock off that cat." My eyes narrowed at the blockhead that shot my partner. "Sure a talkin' cat is dandy, know what's dandier? A cat that can talk."

Milly squealed in agreement. "Oh yeah!"

"THAT'S THE SAME THING!" We roared.

"How'd we end up in this place?!" Happy demanded, running up to them. "And what happened to Natsu?!"

"Don't get mouthy." The blockhead said, pointing a finger at us. "Or you'll end up six feet under like your little pink friend."

"Try it blockhead." I growled, glaring at him as a blood red magic circle activated under my paws. A dozen swords, all copies of my missing original, materialized around me and pointed at the pair. "You may have caught us off guard last time, but now I'm _itching_ for a fight. My blades against your bullets, I wonder who's faster? Just give me a reason." My lips curled up into a smile that was all feral teeth as they took a nervous step back. "I fucking **dare** you."

"There's no way this guy coulda taken down Natsu." Happy muttered, narrowing his eyes again as I let the swords fade away.

"We got bad news!" A guard yelled, racing up to the door with his partner. "Erza Scarlet and Jellal Fernandez have escaped their cell!"

"They did?!" Milliana squealed. "That's Erzy for ya!"

"Well, ain't no way the two of 'em are breakin' outta here." The blockhead said, instantly forgetting about us. "Secure the Dragon Slayer. Mistress Seilah won' be happy if he gets loose." The four of them took off, locking the door behind them.

I turned to the others. "We need to get out of here!" I said shortly.

"But they locked the door!" Happy protested.

I shook my head in disappointment. "Happy, we really need to start teaching you a secondary magic." He looked at me blankly as I just gave him a cheerful smile. My swords rematerialized around me as I motioned to the door. "You guys up for a game of Jailbreak?"

Bella flashed me an identical smile as her crystal necklace glowed, depositing a double headed warhammer at least three times her size in her paws. "I am!" She chirped.

Happy's face split into a grin. "Count me in!" He said, pulling a two foot long swordfish out of nowhere.

* * *

 **The three guards on that block would swear up and down for _years_ afterwards, that, yes they actually _were_ taken down by three _cats_ thank you very much. Two of them even had the scars from the swords and the swordfish to prove it. The third one, well, lets just say he had an irrational fear of female calicos cats and large hammers for the rest of his life.**

* * *

**Third Person POV:**

Laughter sounded through the throne room.

"Mistress Seliah?" The servant questioned tentively.

"Little Erza has grown into an amazing woman! And Jellal is no slouch either! Even those ridiculous cats that Milliana brought back with her have already escaped! I must say, I'm impressed." She smiled maliciously. "I can't wait to see how this all plays out! Will I prevail, or will it be them? We'll have a game that interweaves past and future, life and death." She said, her smile all teeth at this point. She could just hear the sounds of the storm that was beginning to rage just outside.

"I can't wait to find out."

* * *

 **Era: Headquarters of the Magic Council;**

"We must do something to stop Seliah!"

"We should wait for Council Woman Vega to gather information!"

"Dispatch the military!"

"Fools!" Simon snapped.

"Simon!"

"How dare you!"

"Only fools would send in the military and risk the lives of hundreds of innocent soldiers!" He continued. "I'm telling you it's far too dangerous!"

"And what do you propose we do?"

Simon looked down. "This is a precarious situation. If we want to stop her we'll have to completely destroy the Tower of Heaven, and there are two ways of doing that." He looked up at them, his eyes narrowed in anger. "In any other circumstance, I would have suggested Etherion."

"ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"THAT'S CROSS DIMENSIONAL DESTRUCTION MAGIC!"

"WE CAN'T!"

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH DEVISATION IT WOULD CAUSE?! THAT WEAPON HAS THE POWER TO OBLITERATE AN ENTIRE NATION!"

"ETHERION IS AN ABSOLUTE LAST RESORT! IT IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE R-SYSTEM ITSELF!"

Simon held up a placating hand. "Which I why I did not outright suggest it!" He stated firmly. "Currently, our first and best option is already within the Tower! Councilwoman Vega. But just hear me out!" He asked. "The Satillite's Square can pinpoint a target anywhere in the region. If we focus it directly on the Tower we can cause less collateral damage and destroy the structure. Understandably, this would only be a last resort, but we should still have it as a backup plan should Vega fall!"

For a second, no one moved. Then Ultear raised her hand. "I vote, to fire." She said.

"Not you too! Have you gone mad?!"

"Four more in favor will give us the majority." Simon said, looking around at the others. "But we can't let deliberation delay us! Time is of the essence! I urge you to vote with me! We can not let Seliah activate the Tower of Heaven!"

"But along with destroying the tower, an Etherion blast would no doubt kill everyone inside, including your friends."

Simon looked down at that, a frown of sadness on his face. "I realize that, however, it's a sacrifice that would be justified. I know without a doubt that if it came down to a choice, they would choose to sacrifice themselves."

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

"They got a ton of lookouts." Gray said, glancing up at the ramparts with gritted teeth.

"Let's charge them." Natsu suggested, starting forwards until Lucy yanked him back by the collar of his shirt.

"Don't even think about it." She hissed venomously. "Remember, they've got the others. If we screw this up we could be putting them in danger."

"Man, this is gonna be tricky." Gray said, searching for an opening.

"I found an underwater passageway into the Tower." Juvia said, her head forming above the water.

"Nice job Juvia." I said, nodding. "How far out?"

"About a ten minute swim." She replied.

"We can hold our breath that long right?" Natsu asked.

"Probably." Gray agreed.

"THAT'S NOT HUMANLY POSSIBLE YOU DOPES!" Lucy yelled.

"In that case I suggest you wear these." Juvia said, holding up what looked like a swirling orb of water. "It's a water shell containing oxygen. This way you can breath while underwater."

"Wow, you're awesome Juvia." Natsu remarked, clearly impressed. I raised an eyebrow as Juvia blushed slightly from his praise.

"Just as a precaution however." I interrupted as she started placing them over the heads of the others. A dark blue and gold magic circle sprung up at my finger tips as I pointed towards them. " **Celestial Water Dragon's** **Tidal Breath.** " I breathed out slowly, glowing mist flowing from my breath and surrounding them. "There, that spell should allow you to breath underwater for the next half an hour."

"What about you Vega?" Gray asked looking at me curiously.

I smiled slyly, and a brief flash of requip magic flashed around my throat and faded away to reveal my mermaid pendant. "I think I've got that covered." I said cheekily, before diving in. Light flashed around me as the magic in the necklace turned my feet into a fin again. The others dove in after me, and Juvia's eyes widened in shock as I cheerfully waved at her before taking off in a flurry of bubbles.

As quickly I left them behind, I got an idea and quickly pulled out one of my Black Keys. **"Open! Gate of the Hydrus! Hydra!"** In a flurry of black and gold bubbles, Hydra appeared next to me.

"What can I do for you Vega?" She asked.

"Can you give the slowpokes a ride?" I asked, motioning back to the others, who were still swimming as fast as they could to catch up.

Hydra nodded before she shot off towards the others and looped around so they were sitting on her back as she swam back towards me. I let out a laugh at the squeals all of them gave as Juvia sped up to swim beside me. She shot me a small smile as she took the lead, guiding us towards the entrance she found.

"Is this it?" I asked as my head broke the surface at the end of a small tunnel.

"Yes it is." Juvia said, popping up next to me and looking around.

As the others broke the surface I leapt out of the water, transforming mid-jump and landing on my feet in my black bikini. "You might wanna stick around Hydra." I said softly, sniffing as I tried to asses the layout. "We're just asking for a fight being out here in the open like this." Hydra nodded as she started looking around cautiously.

"So we're beneath the tower now huh?" Gray asked as he and Natsu climbed out of the pool.

"I wonder where they're keeping the others?" Natsu questioned as he looked around.

"They may look silly, but they sure do work." Lucy said, admiring the Water Shell in her hand.

"I'm impressed you made it here because I purposely made your shell smaller so you would have trouble breathing." Juvia commented offhandedly.

"Gee, thanks." Lucy deadpanned as the water shell burst.

I whirled around as a challenging roar sounded through the cave. "INTRUDERS!" A voice yelled.

"Uh oh." Lucy squeaked as dozens of guards poured into the room and stopped between us and the tunnels upwards.

"Crap." I nearly hissed as Hydra reared up behind me and roared an answering challenge to the winged beasts that were facing us.

"IDENTIFY YOURSLEVES!" One of the guards demanded.

"Guess we don't have a choice." Gray said fiercely. "We're gonna have to fight them."

"Yes." Juvia agreed.

"You losers wanna know who we are?!" Natsu demanded, stepping forwards as a large orange magic circle appeared above him, setting one of his fists on fire. "We're the wizards who are gonna pound your faces in!" He slammed his fist into the ground below us, kicking up a cloud of dust and heat that obscured us as we sprung into action.

"What the?!" I heard one of them question as we leapt out of the cloud.

"WE'RE FROM FAIRY TAIL!" Natsu roared in challenge. **"** **Fire Dragon Roar!"** He spit out a firestorm at the guards, who either ran or were blown away by the flames.

 **"Ice Make! Lance!"** Gray yelled, ice exploded out from his hands, impacting a dozen guards at once.

" **Open! Gate** **s** **of the Raiju** **and Vampire!** **Alepou!** **Amia!** " A clap of thunder echoed through the enclosed space and the smell of ozone filled the air as Alepou phased into being next to me and let out a challenging snarl and his fur let off electric blue sparks. Several of the guards who had been looking at me with lust took a nervous step back and started to sweat as I smiled sweetly. Amia mirrored my smile as he stepped up beside me, showing off his two inch fangs and glowing red eyes. Hydra reared up behind me, all three of her heads snarling as the water around her swirled.

"Are these grunts bothering you Demoness?" Amia asked, tilting his head in mock curiosity as the guards glanced at each other nervously before looking back at me.

I nodded, my smile turning a tad feral. "Not just that, they took Erza, Jellal, Erik, and the Exceeds away from us."

Amia's eyes started glowing even brighter as Hydra let out a hiss of rage and Alepou's snarl grew louder. "Oh reeeeeally?" He questioned, licking his lips as the guards took another step back before taking off in a cloud of dust. The three demons around me eagerly leapt after them in hot pursuit, utterly decimating them as they went.

 **"Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"** Lucy yelled as the guards in front of her were ogling her.

"Did you summon me princess?" The pinkette maid asked as she appeared in a localized earthquake. The guards were catcalling and flipping out as they saw the two girls.

"These pervs need to be punished." Lucy said, pointing towards them as a tick mark appeared on her forehead.

"As you wish." Virgo said, her blue eyes glowing red before she dove into the fray, knocking dozens of guards off the path.

Shaking my head in amusement, I glanced down at the floor just as Juvia used a tidal wave to push back the ones surrounding her. With a fanged grin and a slightly maniacal chuckle, I lit my fists up with silver, and dropped down onto the platform below me right in the center of another group of guards as Natsu leapt up beside me.

The rest of the fight was a short blur after that, the five of us making quick work of them.

"That seems to have done the job." Juvia said as the last guard collapsed.

"Good work team." Gray said as he surveyed the carnage.

"I hope we're not calling attention to- oh who am I kidding?" Lucy said face-palming as Natsu picked up one of the guards.

"So, where's the blockhead buddy?!" He demanded. We whirled around as a pathway stretched down to rest in front of us, almost invitingly.

"What's that?" Natsu asked, eyeing it suspiciously.

"I think it's their way of sayin' come on in." Gray said seriously.

"You guys go on ahead." I said, looking over at Juvia for a moment with hard eyes. "Juvia and I have something to discuss really quick." The Rain Woman silently gulped at the look in my eyes.

"Alright then." The boys said, starting up the ladder with Lucy close behind.

As soon as I was sure they were out of earshot even for a dragon slayer, I whirled around and pinned Juvia with a hard unforgiving glare. "Whatever grudge you have against Lucy, leave it at the guild. I won't have squabbles compromising jobs and missions. Pull the kind of shit like what you did with the Water Shell again and, aspiring Fairy Tail mage or not, I _will_ hand you over to the Magic Council to be charged with attempted murder. Got it?"

Juvia hung her head. "I understand." She whispered, sounding ashamed.

I nodded and walked towards the ladder, before pausing to look at her with a sly smirk. "Besides, if you're worried about what kind of relationship Lucy has with Natsu, they see each other as siblings. Lucy's got a thing for Erik, and I'm pretty sure he feels the same." I started climbing up, giggling manically as I heard Juvia sputtering in embarrassment behind me.

* * *

 **Third Person POV:**

"Mistress? Why are you inviting them into the tower?" The servant asked nervously as he watched the Lacrima screen in confusion.

"As I said before," Seilah said, smiling sadistically as she rested her head against her fist. "This is all one big game. They were lucky enough to clear the first stage, but they still have quite a ways to go. I'm just trying to make things interesting." She attempted to give him an innocent look, before she gave up and started chuckling.

"But shouldn't we concentrate on the ceremony? It's only a matter of time before the council catches on to our plans!" The servant protested.

Seilah looked amused. "Melvodaldus, how many times have I told you not to worry about them?"


	64. The Past and Pandemonium

**I am a horrible, horrible person. I wavered in my inspiration and allowed the dreaded writer's block to take over!**

 **And now, after nearly a month of little to no activity I have returned from conquering the menace!**

 **To KitKat: _First of all, I'm glad you like the story. This story is my pride, joy, and favorite_ _one_ _to work on. It's a shame that more people don't review and give me feedback. I really appreciate it when they do._ _I put a lot of thought and work into any fic I write, and it makes me happy when people give me feedback of any kind._**

 _ **Second of all, at the moment she kind of hates his guts because of the arrogant way he acts. He loves her, he knows that for a fact, but he's not going to make a move until she's of age in dragon terms at twenty one and she realizes why he can't purposefully or maliciously hurt her. Now, she has already turned twenty-one, but the fact is she's usually surrounded by others that make it impossible for him to get close to her, let alone get her alone long enough to talk to her. They'll have more moments during and after the Fantasia Arc, especially since Vega is going to kick the ever-loving shit out of him alongside Gajeel and Natsu.**_

 **ON ANOTHER NOTE!**

 **Go to YouTube and look up _'Battle for Camelot'_. It should be the first one on the list. Click on it and give it a listen.**

 **Then tell me that it does not fit Vega to a T.**

 **I triple dog dare you.**

 **As always my dear readers: I don't own Fairy Tail, Dante, Bella, and Vega belong to me, and the Celestial Demons belong to _fairytailcrossover_! Go check out her page, she's a really good writer.**

 **Now, ON TO THE STORY!**

* * *

 **Era: Headquarters of the Magic Council;**

One of the council members hesitantly raised his hand. "I vote, yes."

"Leiji, not you too!"

"There's no other choice!"

"Two more votes are needed, then we'll call upon Cosmitella for her vote." Simon said. "Please, trust me on this!"

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

"HEY BLOCKHEAD!" Natsu yelled, making his voice echo all around us.

"Geez, would you keep it down?" Lucy asked gritting her teeth in frustration.

"I don't see the point in sneaking around anymore." Gray reasoned as we made our way into a dining room that was set ready for a feast. Natsu's eyes lit up in excitement as he immediately started scarfing down all the food in sight. "Not after all that ruckus that went on downstairs."

"They've got a point." I said as I pulled up a chair and helped myself to the meal. "They already know we're here, so why bother hiding?"

"WHY THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS EATING?!" Lucy demanded.

"I suggest you join them before there's nothing left." Virgo informed her.

"No thanks." Lucy said.

"The door that welcomed us in was controlled by a magic user." Juvia said as I tossed Alepo and Hydra two still-bloody haunches of meat, and Amia sat down next to me with a glass of red liquid I was pretty sure wasn't wine.

"Then they are well aware of our presence." Virgo said as she bowed slightly.

"Then why would they let us in?" Lucy questioned.

"You think they're trying to provoke us?" Gray questioned.

"No." I said, looking up from my plate. "It's more likely that they're trying to lure us into a false sense of security and catch us off guard."

"Not to be rude," Virgo started, looking over Lucy with a critical eye. "But your bikini leaves little to the imagination."

Lucy crossed her arms over her breasts. "Should I change?" She questioned nervously.

Virgo got this maniac gleam in her eyes and lunged forwards. "Yes! I'll help you!"

"Wait! You mean right here?!" I averted my eyes as Lucy protested, and smacked the back of Gray's head to make him look away. After a minute or two we looked back again to see Lucy sporting a gorgeous and practical green celestial-style dress with a matching green headband holding her hair back, and flat Greek sandals suitable for running.

"So boys?" She asked striking a pose. "Do I look super cute in this outfit or what?"

"Oh yeah! You look great!" Gray said looking over her with appreciative eyes.

"Well then, I wish you luck princess." Virgo said, taking a short bow.

"Thanks for the help Virgo." Lucy said as the maid spirit disappeared.

I turned to my demons and smiled. "I think the three of you should go back as well. I'll call you or one of the others if I need help."

"I'll hold you to that demoness." Amia said, dissolving into the shadows as he threw me a half hearted salute. Alepou fondly nuzzled me for a second before he disappeared into blue sparks. Hydra looked at me for a moment, her golden eyes glowing as she studied me, before she nodded and disappeared into a cloud of mist.

"Oh, did you guys want me to ask her to bring you a dry change of clothes too?" Lucy asked.

"Nah, I've got that covered." I said, requiping into my usual outfit.

"This does the trick just fine." Gray said, getting closer to Natsu as he set himself on fire.

"He's not a dryer you know!" Lucy yelled.

Just then, six more guards burst into the room.

"The intruders!"

"We found them!"

As one, we turned towards them, ready to leap into action, when a flash of gold and silver quickly cut all of them down. The guards were sent sprawling to reveal Erza and Jellal.

"Erza! Jellal!" We all yelled gleefully.

"Thank goodness you two are okay!" Lucy said.

"They're so cool." Juvia whispered in awe.

"It's you!" Erza said in shock. "What are you doing inside the tower?!"

"Looking for you?" Lucy's statement sounded more like a question.

"We haven't met." Juvia started to say. "My name is Juvia and-"

"Go home." Erza ordered, cutting off the water woman. "This place is far too dangerous!"

Natsu just growled and slammed a fist into his palm, sending up a shower of sparks. "You're not gonna scare me into leaving!" He said fiercely. "I ain't going anywhere 'till that blockhead gets a good taste of my fist! I'm gonna make him pay for shooting me in the mouth."

"You have to go!" Jellal said, his face twisted with worry.

"But why?" Lucy demanded.

"Your friends kidnapped Happy!" Natsu yelled. "I can't leave here without him!"

"Not to mention Dante and Bella!" I added, glaring at them. "Erza, if you and Jellal are staying then so am I! Besides, Erik is still in here somewhere, and I'm not leaving without any of you! I've ripped this place appart before, I can damn well do it again and you know that!"

"So, where can I find him?" Natsu demanded.

"I'm not sure." Erza admitted.

"This means war." Natsu growled.

"Who are you declarein' war against?" Gray asked.

"THE JERK WHO KIDNAPPED MY LITTLE BUDDY!" Natsu yelled before he tried to take off running.

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt before he could though. "Hold on a minute Natsu." I said, holding him back. "Think this through for a second. Dante and Bella are with him, and knowing them they've already broken out and are looking for u as we speak."

"That doesn't change anything." Jellal said, speaking up to argue his own point. "Vega, this is our problem, and it's our choice to deal with this on our own."

"Just like it's my choice, and their choice," I motioned to the others who nodded to me. "To stay and help you."

"This is our problem Vega, and you alone out of everyone here knows just how dangerous this is going to be!" Erza argued, trying to convince me otherwise. "We were children then, and now it's time for us to fight our own battles!"

I leveled a flat glare at her and raised an eyebrow. "You're family." I said softly, letting my face fall. "All three of you." I looked over at Jellal. "And you know damn well that I never leave family behind."

Jellal and Erza's faces fell at the realization at I wasn't going to be convinced otherwise. "Besides," Gray added after a moment of silence. "I think we're plenty involved already."

"Erza, Jellal," Lucy said, cutting in. "What's up with this tower? Why are you so afraid of this place?!" She demanded. Not even a second later, she backed off slightly. "I can understand if you don't want to tell us." She reasoned. "You said the creeps who kidnapped you guys used to be friends of yours right? Well we're your friends now and we're here to help you!"

I noticed the two of them twitch ever so slightly as Lucy continued, her voice and expression filled with determination. "And no matter what happens we're always gonna have your back!"

"Yeah, she's right!" Gray agreed. Juvia blushed slightly before she nodded as well.

"You can count on us!" Natsu said, lighting one fist up with fire.

The two of them were silent for a moment, before Erza sighed and hung her head. "There is no way we can convince you otherwise?" She asked, not daring to turn around.

"You'd have a better chance of me completely giving up scotch." I informed her.

"Master taught us that even the strongest warriors need a little back up every once in awhile." Gray added, his face set into a determined smile.

Erza turned around then, and I was surprised to see tears streaming down her face. Despite that, her mouth was curved up into a grateful smile "Thank you." She whispered.

"We won't lie," Jellal started, his face set into a hard, steel-filled, frown. "The odds are horribly stacked against us. "He smiled sorrowfully as he hooked a hand around Erza's waist and pulled her closer. "Win or loose this battle, we're staring death in the face."

"What do you mean by that?" Gray demanded.

"There's no point in delaying the inevitable." Erza continued. "So we won't, but before we take the fight to them, we can share our story."

"This building is the Tower of Heaven." Jellal explained. "It's also called the R-System. Over a decade ago a cult dedicated to black magic began it's construction. It would be used to cast a forbidden spell that brings the dead back to life."

"The spell required multiple human sacrifices." Erza continued. "So the cult abducted citizens of the surrounding areas and forced them to build the tower as their slaves." She turned away again. "The only reason we know this, is because we were some of those people." Gray, Juvia, and Lucy gasped in shock as Natsu grit his teeth and Jellal pulled her closer. "Anyone who dared to resist the cult or tried to escape the tower, would mysteriously disappear. We never had any peace of mind. We lived in constant fear, but we bonded and made friends we could trust despite that. Even though we knew we wouldn't be together long."

"We were friends in that tower, along with Erik, from an early age." Jellal explained as Erza buried her face in his shoulder. "The day Erza lost her eye was the day we tried to escape. I went after the guards that took her, but something went wrong and we were captured. They took me in Erza's place to be punished, and brought Erza back to our cell.." Little did I know that Erza would snap that day, and begin the rebellion, or that a legion of soldiers from the Fiore Military along with a few Guild and Independent Mages would choose that day to begin their raid."

"Something in me broke that day." Erza said, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "And before I knew it, I had taken down three guards all on my own, and inspired the others to follow me. And so we took a stand for our freedom, hoping to save our dear friend Jellal."

"Meanwhile, I had been taken up to the torture room." Jellal continued. "But the guards who took me up there soon disappeared to help deal with the rebellion." He closed his eyes and hung his head as he remembered what happened. "Something _else_ was in the tower that day, something that wasn't right and claimed it's name was Zeref. It was whispering in my ears, urging me to give in to it, and I'm ashamed to say I nearly did. But before I could, someone else got it's attention." He shot me a small smile. "One of the independent mages that had tagged along on the raid."

"Me." I said, drawing the other's attention. "That thing that was trying to posses Jellal was a False Demon by the name of Kyoka." I shook my head in disappointment. "As a Celestial Demon Mage, I was able to scare her away the first time by threatening to summon the Demon King. However the one in control of the tower and the people who kidnapped them is not Kyoka."

"Sho called her Seilah." Erza added. "And mentioned someone called Brain was coming to take Erik away before too long."

"Then we have no time to loose." I said, straightening up as my eyes gleamed slightly. "Every moment we delay Seilah only grows stronger and Erik is one moment closer to being taken from us. It's time we start planning."

* * *

 **Dante's POV:**

I slammed the hilt of my sword into the helmet of another guard, knocking him unconscious as the three of us kept moving. "Man, these guys are like cockroaches!" I complained as a few more filtered into the room.

"Well then we'll deal with them as any cat worth their salt should." Bella said, straightening out her fur as she glared at them. Her battle axe and war hammer gleamed menacingly in the low light, making the guards stop in their tracks as they started sweating.

Happy's face split into a creepy fang filled grin as the guards took a nervous step back. His grip tightened on the swordfish he was brandishing. "Aye sir." He agreed as his grin stretched impossibly wider.

The three of us lunged forwards and the guards screamed in terror and fled in a cloud of dust.

As soon as they were out of sight, I fell to the ground, roaring with laughter as Happy's jaw dropped. "I can't believe that actually worked!" He said in disbelief.

Bella just dusted off her war hammer. "I am the bluff mistress!" She declared, lifting it above her head in joking victory.

"That you are." I agreed as I came out of my laughing fit. "Now come on, we better find our dragon slayers as soon as possible."

They nodded, and we ducked into the shadows to continue our search.

* * *

 **Era: Headquarters of the Magic Council:**

"The time for action is now!" Simon roared. "With or without Councilwoman Cosmitella's vote, we must use the satellite square to fire an Etherion blast directly at the tower!"

"The R-System is forbidden magic," Ultear reasoned. "We cannot allow it to become part of our recorded history! Therefor it has to be destroyed! Why can't you see that?!"

"Etherion would obliterate everything in it's path! Including any innocent civilians within the Tower!"

"Not to mention your friend's lives are at stake! If you fire the Etherion they are sure to die! Would you be able to live with that guilt!"

"If it's for the greater good." Simon said, closing his eyes in despair.

"Although the lives of innocent civilians, and what is arguably one of our greatest and strongest allies, will be lost, we must stop it. It's a sacrifice that must be made now."

"How could you say that?! Can you imagine how we would be vilified if we attack Ka-El without warning?! We'd go down in history as mass murderers! Not to mention that the king and the citizens of fiore would have our heads if our strongest mage and her team were to die because of our choice!"

"I will sacrifice my reputation in order to save countless lives."

"You can't be serious!"

"Think of how the R-System will affect future generations. How can we teach our children the value of life if the dead can be resurrected?!"

"We have to put an end to this! I would like to vote in favor of an Etherion attack!"

"We need one more vote!" Simon said.

* * *

 **The Tower of Heaven; The Throne Room:**

Seilah smirked as she reclined on her throne. "Just a single vote." She mused, resting her head against her hand. "That's all it will take and then...

...it's game over."

A malicious grin crossed her face as her low chuckle rang throughout the room.


	65. Heaven's Game

**Damn it, this arc is probably one of the most difficult tests of patience I have ever endured.**

 **But I will triumph over it! You can bet your ass that I will!**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, I never have and I never will. I don't own any of the White Keys either, so you'll recognize them from various other Anime.**

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

"Before we get too deep," Gray said as we started laying out the groundwork of the plan. "Maybe it's just me, but the name Zeref sounds familiar."

"I'm sure." Erza said as she wiped away her tears. "He was a legendary Black Wizard."

"Wait a minute." Lucy cut in, her voice filled with dread. "I remember someone saying the monster that came out of the Lullaby Flute was one of Zeref's demons."

"I never mentioned it," Erza added uncertainly. "But I suspect Deliora was a demon from the book of Zeref as well."

"They were." I whispered lowly. My eyes glowed slightly as everyone turned to look at me in shock. "Kyoka and Seilah are demons from the book of Zeref as well, and there is little doubt in my mind that they are probably going to use the tower to try and resurrect their creator." _Which_ _won't work anyway._ I thought with a dark glare.

"And I'm guessing that is a very bad thing?" Jellal asked me, a worried look in his eyes.

I nodded in conformation.

"If this wizard is as evil as you say, why would your friends want to resurrect him?" Juvia asked.

"They don't want to. None of the people who kidnapped us are in control of their actions. They've been missing for the better part of two years." Erza admitted. "It's not their fault, and before Erik was separated from us he could tell that they want nothing to do with this. I don't understand their motives either, however Seilah said something to us about this tower being a power source and about resurrecting Zeref."

"But now I understand." I interrupted. They all looked at me with raised eyebrows, silently asking me to elaborate. "It's an old prophesy that was given to the founding Paladins of the Sacred Order by a mysterious Seer when they first started making a name for themselves.

When the Destroyer rises the Creators shall fall

And all who are loyal will answer his call.

Their children awakened shall bar his way

But one choice alone, to join or slay

Will seal his fate and awaken the END.

Humanity's savior, or Darkness defend."

I sighed as I looked up at their shocked faces. "It's the prophesy of Doomsday, the Apocalypse, the End of Times." I explained as I shook my head. "The Paladin's were convinced that it pertained to someone other than Zeref since a few of them managed to hunt him down and ask him about it before he disappeared for good, but obviously the False Demons believe otherwise."

"Something is still bothering me about this though." Lucy piped up. We all looked over at her as she kept speaking. "Vega, before you mentioned something about ripping this place apart."

I nodded. "I might have been young at the time when I joined in on that raid, but I was still a powerful mage in my own right." I closed my eyes as I lost myself in the memory. "With a single spell I turned this entire structure into rubble, and that was the last I ever expected to see of it." I opened my eyes again to see Gray and Lucy's shocked faces and Erza and Jellal's haunted expressions. "That doesn't change the fact that it's been rebuilt, and if needed, I **will** wipe it from the face of the planet all over again!" I added, clenching my fists until my knuckles went white.

All of us froze in place as the sound of footsteps reached our ears. "Sister." Sho stepped out of the shadows, his eyes glowing eerily.

Before he could get any further, I burst into motion without warning and tackled him to the ground. "Sorry about this Sho but it's the only way." I apologized as my hands lit up with gold, orange, and dark grey energy. His eyes widened and he tried to struggle as I placed my hands over his ears. **"Celestia** **l** **Spirit** **Dragon's** **Presence** **Purge!"**

Sho let out a gut wrenching scream of pain and I threw myself out of the way as his eyes rolled back into his head as he slumped to the ground. A black and red melisma poured out of his mouth and disappeared with a menacing hiss as he shuttered and shook with pain as his chest heaved.

After a moment, his heavy breathing leveled and slowed slightly as he let out a low groan, and his eyes flicked open again to show his natural dark green eyes.

"What was that?" He asked groggily as he glanced around at us. "My head is killing me." His eyes widened in wonder though as he looked down at his hands. "She's gone though." He whispered. "I can't feel her anymore." He looked up at me in question. "How?!"

"I'm really sorry about the headache." I apologized as I offered him a hand up. "But it was a nessicary side effect to purge her influence from your mind."

"Thank you." He whispered before he hugged me. "Thank you so much!" He pulled back as tears dripped down his face. "After nearly two years under her thumb I'm free."

"Vega? What on earth was that?" Jellal asked me, voicing what the others were thinking.

"The Celestial Spirit Dragon's Presence Purge, a spell that purges' foreign magic and presences from the target's mind and body." I explained. "At the height of the Dragon War, Spirit Dragon Slayers were exorcists, and were often called upon to take care of possession cases and malicious hauntings. They used that spell to evict harmful spirits and demons from innocents."

"Never the less, thank you." Sho said gratefully before he frowned. "But what now? Seilah has this place in a stranglehold. The soldiers and guards are what remains of the Black Magic cult, and they willingly follow her. We're in for the fight of our lives, and that's not even taking into account the assassins she's brought in."

"Assassins?" I questioned, my eyebrows scrunching up in confusion and anger. "To think, a False Demon of her caliber would stoop so low." I shook my head as I let out a sigh of disappointment. "It almost makes me sick."

"Why do you keep calling her that?" Sho asked, turning to look at me with narrowed eyes. "How on earth could she possibly be fake?"

"False Demons, Celestial Demons, and Devils are three fundamentally different things." I explained patiently. "Devils are forces of nature, the forerunners of disaster and death, and are almost completely unstoppable in their true forms. They aren't inherently evil, but they keep the balance of nature by leading their disasters through the world to kill. Celestial Demons are a bit more complicated and according to the laws I am bound by as their contractor, I can't say much about them, but they've all had hard lives and dark origins despite being good people." My expression darkened as I continued. "However, False Demons are all evil to the core with only one known acceptation. They aren't truly alive as they are little more than golems animated with Living Magic."

Sho looked taken aback at that before his expression hardened. "I see." He said shortly. "But besides that, we also have to factor her mole in the magic council into effect."

My blood seemed to run cold as those words left his mouth. "Who is it?" I demanded, my eyes steely. "Who did she put on the council?"

Sho looked at me with haunted eyes. "Simon."

I closed my eyes in regret and clenched my hands into fists again before I relaxed. "Alright." I said slowly before my magic surged around me. My eyes flicked open again, and the others took a nervous step back.

I could feel my eyes glowing like stars.

"Time to get down to business. We need to plan."

* * *

 **Natsu's POV:**

Vega's voice rang through my mind as I raced through the corridors, following the sharp and unmistakable scent of gunpowder.

 _"Natsu, your job is to take down Wally." She said, her eyes glowing brightly with barely suppressed rage. "I doubt any of us could stop you from going after him anyway, so we won't. Just don't beat him up too badly okay? You need to keep in mind that he is not in control of his body and he isn't doing this of his free will. Meanwhile, the rest of us are going to go and shove this fight right into Seilah's face." She looked back at me. "Once you find him, take him down hard, then bring him back here to me. I can clear his head of Seilah's influence."_

 _I nodded._

 _"Well what are you waiting for then?" She asked me, a slight smile on her face. "Get going!"_

 _My smile was all teeth as I took off at a dead sprint, occasionally scenting the air for his scent as I took random turns and made sure to get completely lost._

I stopped short as the scent of Exceed hit my nose and turned to look into the room it was coming from. "Geeze what is up with this room?" I asked myself, looking around that the literally cat everything that decorated it. "There are cats all over the place." Just then something bright green caught my eye. "Like that giant green kitty head!" I moved so fast I almost teleported in front of it, and lifted it off the shelf.

"Oh wow! It's some kinda mask!" Without a second thought I put it on, laughing before I started posing. "Alright! Let's go Happy! Aye sir! Oh I would make a good cat." With the fun over, I tried to pull it off again, only to be unsuccessful. "Man, it's stuck on my giant noggin! What am I gonna do?!" I moaned, before I shrugged. "Oh well, it looks cool so who cares right?" I asked myself. "Oh man, Happy's gonna freak out when he sees me." I laughed, right before the fresh strong scent of gunpowder hit me full force and I heard a voice and the cocking of a gun.

"End of da road for you boy."

Well, there was only one thing I could say to that.

"Shit."

A single thought went through my head in that moment.

 _Vega's gonna kill me if she_ _ever_ _finds out_ _about this_ _..._

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

Gray, Juvia, Lucy, Erza, Jellal, and I were following Sho up one of the outdoor staircases when I was hit with the unexplainable urge to slap the shit out of Natsu the next time I saw him.

"If I'm right, Wally is already hunting down Natsu as we speak." Sho said as we kept running. "Simon should be meditating not far from where Erik is being kept."

That made me look at him in surprise. "I thought he was in Era?" I asked.

Sho shook his head. "It's a Thought Projection, the real Simon was kidnapped, possessed, and replaced almost a year ago now."

"That sounds about right." I admitted. The others glanced at me in askance. "About a year ago, Simon was attacked on Council Grounds, he claimed that a woman named Seilah attempted to kill him but he managed to drive her back. I guess it was all just a distraction for his kidnapping." I mused offhandedly as we ducked into the tower again.

* * *

 **Dante's POV:**

My ears pricked up as the sounds of gunshots reached my ears. "Hey Happy?" I said, turning towards my pseudo younger brother.

"Yeah Dante what's up?" He asked, looking at me.

"Can you hear that?" I asked. Happy went silent for a moment, listening intently.

His eyes widened. "Oh no, that's the same gun that the blockhead used!" He took off without another word, leaving Bella and I in the dust.

Bella and I blinked in shock for a moment, before I spoke up.

"How much you wanna bet that it's Natsu fighting him?" I asked her.

Bella just pinned me with a flat look as she shook her head.

"That's a sucker's bet and you know it."

* * *

 **Third Person POV:**

"It seems that Sho has broken free of my influence." Seilah said as she laced her fingers together and gazed down at the game board in front of her. Seventeen game pieces were scattered all around the board, each individual piece customized to represent a different person. She picked up the red dragon piece and used it to knock down the archer and the cat pieces. "And it appears that Wally and Milliana have fallen at the hands of Salamander. As it should be, one sided matches are always so utterly boring."

"But mistress! Erza and Jellal must be captured at once so we can begin the ceremony!" Vidaldus protested. "I'm afraid that the time for playing games is over now."

"Must you always ruin my fun Vidaldus?" She asked, frowning slightly at him. "But I concede, you do have a point. Now," Her eyes glowed menacingly for a moment. "Fetch them."

"You'll allow me?" He asked almost reverently, his eyes narrowing.

"It is our turn, after all." She reasoned as she set four other pieces on the board. A guitar, a woman with pink hair and white robes, a brown owl, and a staff that was crossed with a sword and arrow.

Vidaldus smirked, before magic flared up around him and his appearance drastically changed. Three others stepped up to stand beside him as the normally meek looking man groaned in satisfaction and his true appearance was revealed as his magic died down again. He now looked like something straight out of a heavy metal band, with a bare chest that had Skeletoy tattooed across his pecks, spiked shoulder pads and gauntlets, bright purple pants that were tucked into knee-high white boots, and purple make up that lined his wild eyes and mouth. As always his long luscious purple hair hung in a dark curtain all around him. He let out a loud cackle.

Seilah just smirked as the four looked to her for instruction. "Assassins from the Death's Head Order." She began, her smile widening even more. "Vidaldus Taka."

"Go to hell." Vidaldus cackled in response. "Yeah, that's right. They can say their prayers if they wanna, but they're all gonna be burnin' in hell tonight!

"Fukuro."

The second, an bulky man with the head of a brown owl simply hooted in response, twisting his head unnaturally as his beady brown eyes stared unblinkingly. He didn't have on any clothes besides a pair of tight green shorts with a flame motif on the left leg that held up by a belt, and a pair of black boots. He had wristbands on either of his hands, and a feather decorated band around both of his biceps. Curiously, he was wearing a large rocket pack on his back.

"Ikaruga."

She was definitely prettier than the others, with pale skin, hip length pink hair and dark green eyes that had a beauty mark under both of them. She was dressed in a long white kimono that exposed her impressive cleavage and shoulders, and a red and black sash that held it closed just below her breasts. Two red ribbons were tied around her biceps, holding the loose sleeves closer to her arms so as to not hamper her movement. Traditional sandals with extremely high platforms were on her feet, and a choker necklace with a decorative buckle was around her neck. A flame motive was stitched into the bottom of her kimono.

Her eyes narrowed in a seductive look as she spoke. "Life is a flower. Fated to be cut down and scattered on the ground below. So tonight we make merry." Cherry blossoms drifted around her.

"And their leader, Hachiro."

The last was a man with dark skin, short dark green hair that half shaved and half pulled into a long braid behind his left ear with a silver band, and gleaming bright red eyes. He was bare chested, but had a dark green mantle on his shoulders that was trimmed with black fur and several stark white bones, skulls, and raven feathers that were strung together with silver beads. His black pants were held up with a dark purple sash, and furred boots laced up to his knees. A silver and black staff that's head was carved to resemble a raven was held easily in one of his intricately tattooed hands. A white key decorated with red arrows hung off of the bracelet around his left hand.

His smirk was dark and dangerous as he fingered the sinisterly glowing green bottle in his right hand. Dark green mist seemed to drift around him. "I wonder how powerful their souls are?" He mused quietly before he snapped to attention.

He bowed his head and put a hand over his heart, the other three copying his movement. "We are assassins hailing from the Death's Head Order Guild. The special forces squad known as Quartet Raven, is at your service ma'am."

Seilah smirked. "It's time you entered the fray." She ordered. "Now go."

* * *

 **Natsu's POV:**

"Hey Happy?" I asked as I gritted my teeth.

"Yeah, what?" Happy answered, his voice slightly strained.

"You're gonna have to pull harder than that!" I said, gripping the doorframe as hard as I could to brace myself.

"I'm pulling as hard as I can but I can't seem to get the stupid thing to budge!" He shot back as he pulled harder on the mask.

"It feels like you're gonna rip my head off!" I yelled as he tugged at it again.

Suddenly, it popped off. "Sweet freedom!" I yelled as the mask went flying, and landed on the blockhead's head. "Hey look! Now it's stuck on old boxy!"

"I'm amazed that mask was able to fit over his giant square head!" Happy muttered in shock.

The blockhead, Wally I reminded myself, jumped to his feet after that and tugged the mask off. "This dance ain't over yet Salamander!" He announced before he doubled over in pain.

I just raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, I already got my payback." I started seriously. "And since my job in this plan was to bring you two back to Vega, I'm not wastin' any more time fighting you pal."

"Talk all you want but we're still gonna-" He started to say right before my fist met his face and he passed out again.

"Yeah yeah," I mocked with a snort before I hefted him in one arm and threw the cat girl over my shoulder. "I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times from guys like you." I shook my head. "'We're gonna win!' 'We'll kill you all!', pff, you never learn."

I turned around to walk away with them in tow. "Fairy Tail never takes anything like this laying down."

 _"I welcome you to the Tower of Heaven."_ I froze in my tracks as a female voice echoed around me. Tracking the voice back to the source, I looked up at a large statue that's eyes were glowing red. _"My name is Seilah and I am the ruler of this tower."_

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

 _"I see the players have been arranged."_ My eyes narrowed as the eyes on the paintings and carvings around us glowed bright red and Seilah's voice echoed around us.

"Say what?" Gray muttered.

"So she knows we're here." Sho muttered uncertainly, his eyes darting all around to glance at the shadows. "She could be lurking anywhere in the tower by now, waiting for us."

"It's no surprise." I said with a shrug. "We did kind of announce our presence when we took out those guards earlier."

 _"I'm delighted that you've come all this way to see me! Shall we play a round of Heaven's Game?"_

"I would be honored." I started, holding up my hand to silence the others. "And what would be the rules of this little game?" I questioned.

I could almost hear the smirk on her face as she continued. _"_ _The_ _rules_ _are quite simple, Paladin."_ I froze as she drew out the word. " _I wish to use Erza as a sacrifice in my ceremony to resurrect Lord Zeref, while Jellal will become the vessel for my darling sister."_

"No! I won't let you!" Sho snarled back, but Seilah ignored him and continued.

 _"If I succeed, the Gates of Heaven will open, crowning my victory. However, if you can manage to find a way to stop me, you'll be the winners of the game."_ I could hear the smug pride and confidence in her voice as she explained. It pissed me off. _"To make things a little more interesting, I've enlisted four knights to battle on my behalf."_

"The assassins." I muttered in realization, my eyes narrowing further as my pupils turned into slits.

 _"The only way you'll be able to get to me is if you can defeat them. In other words, a four-on-eleven battle royal. And there's one more surprise!"_ She announced in a sing-song voice. _"The magic council has the satellite square focused directly on this tower, and it's highly likely they will attack. At this very moment, they're in the midst of voting on whether they should fire an Etherion blast, and my mole within the council will secure their cooperation, with or without your vote Paladin."_

I grit my teeth and clenched my fists in frustration as a voice of protest sounded across the mic. _Hey! That wasn't in the deal you horned freak! If that thing hits us, we'll all be goin' to hell!"_

 _"_ _Now, now, Vidaldus."_ A female voice answered. _"You wouldn't be having second thoughts?"_

 _"_ _Not on your life boss lady."_ The male voice answered gleefully to my dismay. _"Finally! HA! This is the rush I've been lookin' for!_ _A real dangerous thrill ride to get my blood pumpin'!_ _"_

 _"_ _There's no telling how much time is left."_ Seilah continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. _"_ _Should the Etherion strike, complete annihilation is imminent. No players left to win. Game over."_

"What kind of messed up game is this?!" Lucy panicked.

"But that doesn't make any sense to me!" Erza protested. "Why would the Magic Council resort to such drastic measures?!"

"Should Zeref be revived," I explained, not even bothering to turn my head as I put a calming hand on Sho's shaking shoulders. "The panic that would ensue would wreak havoc throughout the world!" I leaned down and whispered to Sho. "Don't even think about it Sho." I warned. "Doing that would only make them more vulnerable, and make yourself a target to the assassins."

I turned my gaze back up to the ceiling. "And what of Erik?!" I demanded. "How does my brother factor into this?!"

 _"Well that's the beauty of it."_ Seilah answered almost gleefully. _"You're racing against two clocks now Paladin! Brain is already on his way, and if all goes to plan he and your brother will be far away from the Tower when the blast goes off! Oh, not knowing what route you will take. Which path will you choose? To stop me, or save your brother?"_

I let out a low growl. "If you think, for even a second, that I am going to abandon my brother for the chance to take you down," My eyes glowed as I glared at the nearest painting. "You've got another damn thing coming."

 _"You have fire and loyalty. I admire that."_ A deep male voice drawled, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. _"You will be my opponent Star Dragon Slayer. Meet me in the lower levels, our battle will be decided there. And if you win, I will lead you to your brother personally."_

My eyes narrowed. "How will I know it's you?" I questioned suspiciously.

 _"You'll know."_

There was no hesitation in my answer. "Then we have an accord."

Seilah just started cackling wildly. _"Well then, without further adue..._

 _...Let the game begin!"_


	66. The Bokor

**Does it freaking look like I own Fairy Tail? No? Still? Well shit...**

 **I do own Vega though, along with Dante, Bella, and her dragons.**

 **You'll recognize the White Demons from other anime!**

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

I dragged in a deep calming breath as I slowly walked through the lower levels, scenting the air at the same time for my opponent. I didn't even attempt to avoid the guards, and they didn't even attempt to stop me.

I think they knew that I had bigger fish to fry.

That was when the scent of decay and souls hit my nose, and I knew I had found him.

My eyes glowed as I stepped out of the shadows, and got my first look at the man who challenged me.

He looked like one of the traditional shawmen of the southern countries at first glance with his black fur, raven feather, and bone trimmed dark green cape, but as I studied him further, a few glaring details came into focus. First, it was the complicated black tattoos that decorated both of his forearms up to his elbows. Second, the staff he was leaning up against just seemed to radiate malevolence. And third, the bottle he was holding and studying quite intently seemed to pulse brightly with every step I took towards him.

"It seems I was right about you, Star Dragon Slayer." He drawled, glancing over at me briefly before turning his attention back to the bottle to carefully tuck it into the dark purple sash that was around his waist. "Your power exceeds my wildest imagination." He gripped his staff slightly tighter before relaxing. "I always make a habit of knowing my opponent's names before I battle them, and I am afraid I only know you by title."

My eyes glowed slightly as I obliged him with a nod. "I am Vega Cosmitella, the last Paladin of the Sacred Order and Adoptive Daughter of the Dragon Monarchs, Draconius and Celestiana."

He nodded in acceptance. "Then I am Hachiro Blackmoor, Mage and Head of the Blackmoor family." Mist swirled up around him as he lightly balanced his faintly glowing staff on his shoulders.

Taking advantage of that, I quickly and quietly chanted in anticipation.

 _"For they are all around us,_

 _Appearing with the moonrise_

 _Disappearing with the sunrise_

 _But never truly gone._

 **Dragon Slayer Secret Art:..."**

His mouth pulled up into a demented grin before he shot forwards, his staff glowing brighter and brighter with every second. "It will be a joy to add your soul to my collection! **Bokor Magic:** **Soul** **Capture!** "

 **"** **T Tauri: Wind!"** A solar wind whipped out from my body, throwing him back as I threw down the second part of my spells.

 **"** **White Star: Eclipsed Strike!"** I closed my eyes and smirked as he let out a screech of pain at the bright light that burst out from my hand before the room was plunged into pitch black darkness.

 **"Yellow Dwarf: Ultra Violet Blades!"** My swords formed in my hands, and I lunged forwards only to have my swords blocked by his staff.

"You're good." He admitted, a psychotic gleam in his bloodshot red eyes. "But you're still too green, still too young." He threw me back with surprising strength, and I stumbled before regaining my feet and moving to engage him again. My eyes widened slightly as he tried to bring the staff down on my head before I blocked it with my swords. I nearly went cross-eyed as the beak of it's raven carving was stopped just shy of the tip of my nose. His grin widened, showing off shark-like teeth. "You've only just barely scratched the surface of your potential!" He crowed in jubilation as the staff started glowing again and he pulled out the glass bottle he had been fingering. **"Bokor Magic: Resurrection!"** He puled the cork out of the bottle, and green mist poured out in a thick fog.

"And what would you know about that?!" I shot back as the mist formed glowing souls that started to surround me. My sword did little to no damage to them until I switched tactics and started channeling Celestial Spirit Energy through it. The souls hissed in anger as they backed off slightly. "What kind of magic is this?" I questioned, examining the souls more closely even as he studied me.

"Bokor Magic." He answered gruffly. "The magic to capture disembodied souls, bind them to my will, and utilize them at my digression."

"A Lost branch of Soul Magic." I grimly concluded, and he nodded in confirmation. "Well, now I know I'm adding it to the forbidden magic list the next time I'm in Era." I stated offhandedly as I pulled out a White Key.

 **"Open! Gate of the Hanyou! Rin!"** A flash of blue fire and black light Rin appeared next to me. The Half-Demon boy grinned wildly as he drew his katana and bounced on his heels.

Hachiro raised an appraising eyebrow. "A Celestial Demon Mage hmm?" He muttered before he let out a bark of laughter. "So strong already, and yet you still do not realize the true extent of your power. Maybe I should educate you then!" He continued to lecture as he pulled the key off of his bracelet. **"** **Open, Gate of the Forsaken Hero! Archer!"**

My eyebrows shot up as a tanned white-haired man in black and silver armor and a red cloak appeared in a flash of black and grey light. He was holding an expertly balanced longbow that curiously enough was strung with a sword of all things.

Immediately the two demons went at it, wildly intercepting each other's attacks and battling. "Man it's been awhile since I cut loose like this!" Rin crowed in happiness even as he weaved through a hail of swords.

"Don't I know it." Archer mused as his mouth twitched into an almost invisible smirk.

Ignoring them for the time being, I tapped the butts of my swords together to form a dual-bladed staff. "I know my limits." I countered. "And I certainly don't need anyone else telling me that I need to get stronger!" This time, he made the first move and I raised my staff to block the strike that was aimed at my head, and immediately ducked and lowered my staff to avoid both the roundhouse kick that followed it and the second strike.

"It's not about knowing your limits." He chided, twisting around to catch my side with the beak of the vulture carving. To my surprise, the beak cut through my skin like a hot knife through butter, leaving a clean slash that immediately started bleeding. "It's about pushing past the rules you have clearly set for yourself!" I narrowed my eyes as he went in for a leg sweep, right before I kicked the inside of his knee.

My instincts screamed at me and I dove to the left, barely avoiding a sword that Archer shot at me. I turned and raised an eyebrow at Rin. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly, before engaging his fellow demon again.

He seemed to bite down on either a scream or groan of pain, before I kicked him in the chin and sent him flying into a wall. "What rules?" I asked cheekily as he slid to the floor from the crater he left. I acted surprised for a moment as I mock snapped in realization and pointed at him. "OH! You mean the line I refuse to cross so I don't end up like you." My eyes were like steel by the time I finished my statement. "A monster ruled by instinct that kills indiscriminately to get any kind of excitement out of their life."

He scoffed at me as he gingerly picked himself up. "You are wrong on one front Star Dragon." He sneered. "Unlike the others I brought with me, I have never killed a child under the age of thirteen, or anyone I was absolutely sure was an innocent."

I tilted my head. "Effects of the magic or personal choice?" I demanded, my voice harsh.

"Both." He answered emotionlessly, getting up as his red eyes turned steely as if he was daring me to contradict him. "Evil souls are traditionally more powerful, the older the soul the better. Plus, it helps clean the world up from the sickos I'm normally contracted to kill."

"Murders, dark mages, immoral grave robbers, evil idiots that want to take over the world?" I questioned, tilting my head in curiosity.

He nodded.

"Then we have something in common." I stated, and his eyes widened slightly in shock. My voice was steady and eerily calm as I kept talking, even as I ducked under his staff and brought up one of the bladed ends to catch his left shoulder.

He lurched back, holding his shoulder as he grimaced in pain. "The man that wants my brother, he is among the worst of the lot. A morally absent, council trained, rouge scientist. You and your team are among the best assassins and information gatherers in the world, so I have little doubt you have heard of him. Brain."

His eyes widened further, this time with a spark of recognition and fear in them. "Ah so you have." I noted even as I twisted my staff into an almost invisible fan of blades that caught him off guard. He just barely brought up his own staff to block the strike I aimed at his head. We sparred back and forth for a few more minutes, toying with each other as we each tried to find an opening.

"I've hunted him before you know." I rambled, ducking under his strike and flipping over a leg sweep. "Back when he first defected from the Council." His eye twitched slightly as we locked staffs again, straining against one another to get the upper hand. "They wanted me to catch him, so they could charge him with countless acts of illegal human experimentation." Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Rin finally getting in a decent strike, and I could faintly hear him apologize to Archer as he faded.

Time to end it.

With a large burst of strength, I pushed him on his back and knocked his staff several feet away from us. I threateningly brought down one of my blades to rest lightly against his throat. "I have no idea what he has in store for my brother, or any of the countless others he's gathered over the years, but I _fucking_ _doubt_ it is _anything_ good."

I snarled. "Normally, I would draw a fight like this out longer so I can gauge exactly how skilled you are for a threat assessment report later, but unfortunately for you I'm pressed for time." My voice took on a desperate note as I moved the blade back just slightly, enough to let him breath but not enough for him to actually get up.

"Now this can go one of two ways." I sneered, pushing my blade against his throat again. His eyes narrowed slightly in caution, even though they didn't loose the faint glint of terror, and he gulped ever so slightly. "Either I let you up, you abide by our deal, and calmly lead me to where my brother is being held and **live**!" My mouth twitched up into a sharp terrifying mockery of a smile. **"** **O** **r** , I let you up, you try to make a break for it, and I enjoy ten minutes _at_ _the_ _ **most**_ of hunting your ass down like an apex predator before taking you down and forcing you to give up his location before I **kill** you." I moved the blade minutely, letting him feel the miniscule stinging pressure of the tip against his jugular. "You may want to hurry with that decision by the way." I warned, a trickle of irritation leaking into my voice. "I get, aggravated and violent when I know someone in my family is being hurt and I could do something to prevent it."

"Your fatal flaw. You would happily burn the world if it meant your family was safe." He observed in a whisper that was almost inaudible as the terror in his eyes worryingly became a contemplative glimmer.

My eyes started glowing threateningly as I lowered the blade just slightly below his artery, barely nicking the skin of his neck to let out a small trickle of blood. "Damn straight." I confirmed without wavering.

"I always go through with a deal Star Dragon." He stated louder, looking almost outraged that I would even dare to think he would back out. "And I am proud to state that I have never broken a deal in my entire life, regardless if my life was on the line." I backed off slightly, letting him climb to his feet and dust himself off.

He gazed down at me, as if he was studying something truly mystifying. "Your brother isn't the only Dragon Slayer being held here." I jerked back from him at those words. "There are two others, two children that are barely old enough to look out for each other, that were captured and brought here nearly a week ago. Seilah wanted to offer them to Brain as an apology for not tracking your brother down sooner."

"Lead me to them, _now_."

It wasn't a question or a statement. It was an order.

* * *

 **Era: Headquarters of the Magic Council:**

"Regarding our debate over whether or not to attack the Tower of Heaven, the final vote stands at four in favor and five against. Therefore, with Councilwoman Vega already on scene and dealing with the problem, the council has decided against firing the Etherion Cannon at this time."

Simon grit his teeth. "You fools." He snapped. "Extreme threats can only be countered with extreme measures!"

"Watch your mouth Simon." Grand Doma scolded. "We have made our final decision. Vega has proven time and time against that she can reach a solution that will minimize bloodshed, and will put our trust in her judgement as we have done many times before."

"I'm telling you you're wrong!" Simon protested angrily. "While we are here debating the issue Seilah is coming closer and closer to resurrecting the dead!" He calmed down slightly as he continued. "I know you felt it, the negative energy that's been slowly spreading across the land. It's because of the man she is attempting to bring back from the grave!"

"And who is that?!"

"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point!"

Simon clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white and they started to shake. "I dared not speak his name, afraid that any mention of him would cause widespread panic should word get out, but you have left me no choice."

"Just tell us who you're talking about!"

"Explain yourself!"

"She's resurrecting Zeref!" Simon roared, silencing the room in an instant, before it exploded into whispers.

"And you're absolutely certain of this? You're sure?" Grand Doma questioned gravely

"I am." Simon answered with a sorrowful nod. "I know Seilah's motivations all too well." He clenched his eyes shut again before continuing. "I call for another vote."

* * *

 **Erik's POV:**

I closed my eyes as I listened to the explosions rapidly getting closer.

"Sting? Do you think they know we're here?" I heard a quiet voice ask.

"I don't know Ryos." Another voice answered nervously. "It sounds like someone's trying to destroy this place though."

Curiously I zeroed in on their scents, and my eyes snapped open in shock.

Light, Shadows, and _Dragon_.

Dragon Slayers. They were Dragon Slayers!

But they sounded like they couldn't be any older than ten!

That would have made them about three years old when their dragons disappeared.

What the HELL where they doing here? HOW the hell did they get here?

I tensed as the sound of two sets of footsteps caught my attention. They were quickly growing louder, as if the two people were running. "This is it." A gruff deep voice said. "This is the cell block where he and the other two are being held."

"Thank you." I instantly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief as the sound of Vega's calm and steady voice washed over me. "I'd get the hell out of here as soon as possible if I were you. She probably already knows you've betrayed her."

"If what you've told me is correct, Brain is coming _here_." The male voice protested just as calmly as they got closer. "You were right when you assumed that I had heard of him before, but I don't know about him because of my work." I could almost see Vega's eyebrow quirking in curiosity. "No, I was one of his many victims. A failed experiment that was gladly handed over to the first Dark Guild that showed interest." His calm voice took on a hint of steel and hatred. "If staying means I could possibly face him and return even a hundredth of the pain he inflicted on me and everyone else he has ever experimented on while giving you and your friends the chance to escape, then I will gladly do so. Consequences be damned."

Vega was silent for a moment. "Hachiro, you're an admirable man. Never let anyone tell you otherwise." I heard her footsteps approach my cell, undoubtedly she was using her nose to track me down.

I opened my eyes and looked up at her as she stopped in front of my cell. "Hey Erik." She whispered, tears of relief in her eyes. "Looks like you've gotten yourself into yet trouble again little brother." I rolled my eyes and shrugged innocently as best as I could with the chains still holding me. She smirked. "Come on, let's get you out of here." With little effort, she grabbed onto the bars and wrenched them apart.

I went limp as she started breaking the chains, my stiff muscles screaming in relief when she broke the last one and lowered me to the ground. I pulled off the gag with one shaking hand and let out a sigh. "Finally." I looked up at her gratefully as she broke the Anti-Magic cuffs on my wrists. "Thanks for having my back sis."

"Any time." She answered with a soft smile. "Can you walk?"

I nodded and levered myself up onto my feet where I swayed uncertainly for a second before gaining my balance. I planted my feet into the ground then and shook my head to get rid of the dizziness. "You good?" She asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded as I took in a steadying breath. "That's good. Now, let's get those kids and get the hell out of here."

I nodded in agreement and we took off running towards the other end of the cell block.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

I followed the scent of dragons towards the cell that was set into the opposite wall, and got my first look at the two younger Dragon Slayers.

They were a similar age, around twelve or so, but other than that they couldn't be more different.

The first had bright blond hair and dark blue eyes. He had lightly tanned skin, which only emphasized the scar that ran along the corner of his right eye. He was dressed in a white shirt with an orange vest over it, and simple blue shorts and dark brown sandals.

The second had coal black hair that covered the right side of his face and bright red eyes. His pale skin was almost ivory white in the low light, and he was dressed in a black shirt and white shorts.

The two of them were looking at me with suspicious and fearful gazes as they pressed themselves back into the furthest corner.

"Are you two okay?" I asked, before shaking my head. "Sorry, stupid question. Now, I need both of you to stay calm and move to the opposite side of the cell. We'll have you out of there in just a second."

"Who are you lady?" The blond one demanded, his blue eyes narrowing in further suspicion. "Why should we trust you?"

I paused in shock for a moment, before getting on my knees to look him in the eyes. "Take a good whiff of my scent fledgling. Then tell me."

Their noses twitched almost in tandem as they took in my scent, and their eyes widened in disbelief as their jaws dropped in shock. "You're like us." The black haired one whispered softly in obvious awe.

"Dragon Slayer." The blond one breathed, his eyes lighting up with wonder.

I nodded as my mouth twitched into a smile before I jerked my head towards Erik. "Him too. Now will you two trust me?" I inquired, tilting my head.

The two of them nodded and scrambled to the other side of the cell, as far away from the doors as they could get. I grabbed onto the bars and took a deep breath before I pulled. In seconds the bars gave way and bent enough for someone to easily get through. Erik darted into the cell, scooped both of the fledglings into his arms, and darted out again. I took the blond one from him and moved him onto my back. "Hold on tight kids." I instructed as Erik shifted the black haired one to his back. "We're going to be moving as fast as we can and probably fighting our way out of here so we need our hands free. Can you hold on tight so you don't fall off?" I felt the blond nod against my shoulder as he clutched harder and saw the black haired kid do the same. "Before we do that though, can I get your names?"

"I'm Sting. Sting Eucliffe." The blond muttered shyly, before he waved a hand over at the ravenette. "That's Rouge Cheney, but he likes being called Ryos instead. We're brothers." He glared at me, as if daring me to challenge that claim.

I merely smiled at his fierce protectiveness. "Family of choice is often times better than family of blood." I agreed as I nodded towards Erik, who smiled back. Sting and Ryos looked at us, then at each other, and smiled. "Now hold on tight. It's gonna be a rough ride." I advised them, before I turned to Hachiro, who had been watching the entire exchange with a bemused look on his face. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" I demanded. "Because if you do, there is no guarantee you'll make it out before this whole place comes crashing down."

"I have made peace with my fate." He assured, his red eyes glinting with viciously suppressed rage. I could tell that he didn't want to loose control now, not in front of two children. That only made my respect for him skyrocket.

I glared at him. "Do **not** make peace with fate." I ordered in a flat voice. His spine stiffed as his eyes widened. "Do anything and everything to defy it." He nodded determinedly, and with one last glance over my shoulder Erik and I sprinted into the shadows.

"Well wasn't that touching." A deep voice drawled, sending icy shivers of fear down my spine as I paused momentarily. "You have certainly improved maggot."

"Of course I did, Brain." Hachiro's voice was cold and emotionless on the surface, but I could practically taste the contempt and anger that was simmering under the calm. "It's the only way to survive in this world of ours."

"Never the less, step aside failure." Brain ordered. "I have no interest in battling you today."

"And that's where I beg to differ. But I digress, even after all these years, I know I can't beat you. So I'll do the next best thing." Hachiro said, before an explosion rang out along with the sound of a body hitting a wall. "This is for _everything_ you ever did to me, everything you did to all of the other children you took, everything you _w_ _ill_ _do_ to anyone you get your hands on, and for killing my sister right in front of me!" His voice was a snarl. A sinister green light lit the area up as magical energy seemed to crackle. "For them, I'll turn this place into your grave, even if it means my own death!"

"A noble endeavor." Brain growled. "But utterly pointless."

Hachiro let out a strangled scream of pain as the sharp scent of blood filled the air. I growled softly. "Erik?" He looked over at me, his own violet eye glowing a soft poisonous red. "Get these two out of here." I swung Sting off of my back and into Erik's arms. "I'm going back for him."

To his credit, Erik only nodded before he bounded off. I turned around, cracked my neck, and stalked back towards the fight.


	67. Destiny

**Okay people, I JUST noticed something that is very surprising...**

 **This story has over 60,000 views, and barely 68 reviews.**

 **I make a point of reviewing almost every story I read. Regardless of whether I think it's amazing, or terrible. Every good writer likes to get criticism, both positive and negative, just so long as it's constructive instead of outright praise or outright flaming. What I don't understand is why people don't like to have their opinions known? I love hearing from you guys, I love knowing your opinions, and it saddens me that I don't hear from you guys more often.**

 **I will also be rewriting this entire story in the near future, only it will be a bit different from before. Instead of keeping everything together in one story, I will be splitting it into a series of smaller 'books' that will allow me to go into greater detail. Keep an eye out for the new prequel Starborn, as it will be posted up in the near future. On another note, as soon as I get to the same spot I'm at in this story with the books, I will be taking The Star Of Fairy Tail down.**

 **On another note, I need a few suggestions. Eventually I'm going to be doing spin offs of this story with the next generation of Fairy Tail. What animes would you guys like to see come into play? I'm open to just about anything that can fit with it!**

 **As for now, I know I don't own Fairy Tail, I do own Vega, Hachiro, Bella, Dante, and any other Oc's that appear!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

I stepped back into the cell block, taking care to stay in the shadows, and what I found had my lips lifting in a menacing silent snarl and my eyes glowing like a miniature stars.

Hachiro had propped himself up against the wall and was panting heavily as he clamped his left hand to his right side, barely stemming the steady flow of blood that dripped down as his right hand shakily leveled his staff at his opponent. The shattered remains of his Soul Bottles were scattered at his feet, and the souls they used to contain were gathered around him protectively as the hissed threateningly at the man opposite them.

I instantly recognized him from his Council Profile.

He was a tall, hulking and intimidating man in the prime of his life. His eyes were dark and emotionless, as was his skin, and they were sharply contrasted by his slicked back, bone white hair. Straight black lines decorated most of his body, and a Guild Mark symbol was tattooed onto his bare chest. He was still dressed in his council uniform, though it had been altered to have trimmed fur around the open shirt and the legs, and the cape had been sewn into the collar. He was steadily pointing his own staff at Hachiro, a hideous and twisted thing made up of a long dark wooded stick with bandage wraps around a curved bit, and topped with a human skull in a green and red feather headdress that was biting down on a spherical turquoise crystal.

Brain.

Both of their staffs were glowing with power, though Hachiro's was notably less bright. **"Bokor Magic: Soul Shield!"** The Bokor Mage roared. The souls around him swirled together and condensed into a solid crystalline shield.

Brain just smirked as more power swirled around him. **"Dark Capriccio Scream!"** A beam of green and red light fired from Brain's staff, breaking through the Soul Shield-

 **"Star Dragon's Astral Kick!"** -Just as I slammed my foot into the back of Brain's head and threw his aim off.

Dazed from my kick, Brain reeled back from the pain and Hachiro's eyes widened in shock as I grabbed Brain's head and viciously brought it down just as I brought up my knee. I smirked grimly as I heard a sharp crack, and felt something break against my knee.

Brain slumped to the ground, unconscious even as his broken nose started gushing blood. "You came back." Hachiro whispered in disbelief.

"Of course I did." I scoffed, moving over to him to throw one of his arms over my shoulder. "I couldn't just leave you to die." I pulled him up, letting him lean on me as I swiftly moved towards the exit. "Not like that."

Hachiro gave me a small hesitant smile, before he glanced over his shoulder. "What about him?" He asked coldly, nodding towards the still unconscious Brain.

I shot a venomous glare at the ex-scientist. "Leave him." I spat viciously. "For all of the pain he's caused all these years, an end like this is nothing more than a bastard like him _deserves_."

"No arguments there." Hachiro muttered as we kept moving.

We were only moving for a few minutes, before he spoke again. "Why?" He asked.

"Why what?" I prompted.

"Why did you really come back for me?"

I was silent for a moment as I contemplated his question. "For all that is required for evil to prevail, is for good men to do nothing." I quoted, my voice void of all emotion. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. "It's part of the oath I took as a Paladin, the oath that I live my life by, and the oath that I will continue to uphold in the express interests of not just my family, but of all innocent people who live in this world." My mouth twitched up into a thin smile. "It's against my nature and everything I believe in to let someone willingly walk towards their death if I can prevent it."

* * *

 **Era; Headquarters of the Magic Council:**

"There are now eight votes in favor, and only one against. Therefore, even without Councilwoman Cosmitella's vote, an Etherion Blast will be used to strike down the Tower of Heaven."

Simon and Ultear had retired to their small library after the vote had been decided, silently smirking at their victory even as the entire building was whipped into a frenzy of activity.

The smirks dropped from their faces as a knock sounded on the door.

"Enter." Simon called out.

"Please forgive my intrusion." Yajima said as he pushed the door open and walked in.

"Yajima." Simon said, standing up out of respect.

"I'm sorry Si, but I don't think this is a wise move." The older man said as he walked straight passed them to look out the window. "Surely an intelligent man like yourself could easily come up with a more peaceful way of resolving this volatile situation."

Simon let out a sigh of regret. "I wish there was another way." He relented as he turned to face his elder. "But the consequences of Zeref's resurrection are just too dire. That's why we must stop her by any means nessicary. You understand, don't you elder?"

Yajima let out a resigned sigh. "Yes we must stop Seliah, I agree, but can you live with the consequences of today's vote?"

"Of course." Simon immediately answered, his eyes flashing crystal blue as Yajima was turned away. "That's a burden I'm willing to bear."

 **"** **This blast could kill** _ **thousands**_ **of innocent people!"** Yajima roared, whirling around to look Simon in the eyes. "Including your friends! I hope you realize the burdens of their deaths, and the countless other's that fall alongside them will rest on your shoulders! Do you?!" He demanded.

Simon was silent for a moment before he spoke. "I know what is at stake here." He said slowly, his eyes cold. "And I am prepared to do what I must."

Outside, houses and buildings shifted and shook as the Magic Council building, and the hill it was on, sunk into the ground and the Etherion Crystals pushed themselves up.

* * *

 **The Tower of Heaven: Throne Room**

Seilah turned her gaze towards the heavens. "So," She mused. "Your move now. But you better hurry. Soon the light will rain down upon our heads."

She let out a happy sigh as a demented smile crossed her face. "Ah, how glorious that moment will be..."

She trailed off into a demented cackle.

* * *

 **Vega's POV:**

"Vega!" I turned my head as I heard Dante calling my name.

"Dante!" I yelled.

A purple and gray blur, followed by a maroon, green, and black blur zipped out of the nearest hall and slammed into Hachiro and I.

I let go of Hachiro for a moment, and he immediately sat down. "Oh I've been worried about you buddy." I said as I cuddled him. "What in the name of the gods are you two doing down here?" I demanded, looking between him and Bella.

"We've been looking for you and causing as much chaos as possible!" Dante explained as he adjusted his sword belt. I looked over at Bella with a raised eyebrow and she smiled at me sheepishly, before the hammer in her paws glowed before disappearing. "Besides!" Dante kept saying. "We managed to snag these two after Natsu and Happy went to town on them!"

Bella put a paw on her crystal. " **Subspace! Retrieval!"** The crystal glowed and a burst of light surrounded her before it deposited two bodies on the floor in front of me.

Wally and Milliana.

"Good work you guys." I said as I kneeled down next to them. "I trust the two of you gave more than one guard a life long phobia of cats?"

Dante and Bella simply gave me toothy seemingly-innocent smiles as Hachiro raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Trust me Hachiro, they may seem cute and cuddly," I explained as I rested my hands on Wally's temples. **"** **Celestial Spirit Dragon's Presence** **Purge,** but underneath those furry exteriors are proud, battle hardened mages of Fairy Tail." I moved over and did the same to Milliana, before glancing at Bella. "Stick them back in your pocket space for now." I ordered. "They'll be safer there and out of our way."

Bella nodded and grabbed her crystal again, holding it up this time. **"Subspace! Deposit!"** In flash of light, Wally and Milliana disappeared again. "We picked up Lucy and Juvia as well. They were completely exhausted after dealing with another of the assassins and didn't put up much of a fight when we told them what was going on." She reported. "I've got them in my pocket space too and we'll release them as soon as we're clear of the tower."

"Very good you two." I praised, reaching down to rub Bella and Dante's ears, much to their delight.

"Extraordinary." Hachiro whispered as Bella warily moved towards him with glowing paws. "I thought true Pocket Space Magic was lost?"

"It was." Bella confirmed as she started moving her paws over his still bleeding side. "As far as I know I'm the first Pocket Space Mage in over two centuries. The crystal is just a conduct to make it a little easier."

"Never the less that is quite the accomplishment little one, you must have-" He cut himself off, hissing in pain slightly as she pressed down a little more forcefully at just the right spot. "Had to practice for quite some time to gain control of it, and alongside healer training to boot? Very impressive." He continued as the blood started to disappear.

"Come on." I said, straightening up. "We need to get moving. If Seliah was right, then an Etherion Blast is being prepped right now. We need to find and free Simon before that happens, so he can reveal the entire plot to the council and they can stop it before it fires."

"I think I caught his scent not too long ago." Dante offered. "He's close."

"Lead the way." I ordered. He nodded and leapt up into the air, his wings unfolding as he started tracing the scent he caught.

Suddenly he paused, before glancing a a door to his left. "Son of a bitch..." He cursed softly. "We're already here!"

* * *

 **Era: Headquarters of the Magic Council:**

The Etherion crystals crackled with energy, slowly charging as they readied to fire.

"Such a critical decision to make, and while the chairman is on leave due to his ailing health."

"It is our solemn duty. In his absence, and in Vega's, we nine remaining council members must do whatever it takes to maintain order."

"There's no need for you to worry Org. I realize we're violating international protocol by intimating this massive attack, but we're protected under clause 4 of article 27 of the National Security Directive."

Org didn't even react for a moment before he sighed. "The legality of this is not my concern." He admitted, turning to face the others. "Our decision to fire an Etherion Blast will put innocent lives at risk."

"If Zeref is resurrected more will be at risk. Sadly, an evil force of that magnitude can only be countered by such extreme measures."

On the ledge above them, covered by the noise of the Etherion being prepped, Simon and Ultear were standing.

"The time has finally arrived Master Simon." Ultear started, before Simon looked over at her with glowing blue eyes. "My apologies." She corrected. "Mistress Seilah."

From his place hiding behind a pillar not far away, Yajima stiffened in shock.

"Yes, it has." Simon agreed, his voice was a soft and cool female alto as a cruel smirk curled over his face.

"After these many months of preparation, your dream will become a reality." Ultear continued, sounding almost elated.

"Let me ask you something Ultear," Seilah, as it was certainly her in complete control now, continued nonchalantly. "Are you afraid?"

"No." Ultear reverently whispered, a soft smile curling on her lips. "Not in the least. I trust you wholeheartedly, and I have complete faith in your judgement."

"Of course you're not." Seilah agreed as a small amount of nervous humor leaked into her voice. "Why would you be? Your life isn't in jeopardy."

"That's true." Ultear relented.

"I must admit, I'm a little nervous." Seilah admitted. "If my plan fails, then I will cease to exist either at the hands of the Etherion Blast, or on the blade of that accursed Paladin and her team." Her eyes focused, and gained a maniac gleam. "Even so, I consider the risk to my life a small price to pay. I'm so close now that I can almost taste it! Simon however," She chuckled, the evil sound sending icy dread down Yajima's spine. "The fool is still fighting even though he knows it is hopeless."

* * *

 **The Tower of Heaven: Throne Room**

Seilah smirked down at the board in front of her, and moved the ice crystal pawn to knock over the owl.

"Twenty-Five minutes left." She whispered softly. "The time has come for us to say our farewells, Simon."

* * *

 **Erza's POV:**

"How could she do this?" Sho seethed as he, Jellal, and I kept moving. "She treats this place as a battery instead of the slaughterhouse it is! Does she have _any_ _idea_ how many people suffered and _died_ to make this cursed place?!"

"Of course she does." Jellal shot back as he grit his teeth. "She's been aware of this place since the first stones were laid. She's not human Sho, their lives mean nothing to her except as means to an end and twisted entertainment."

We burst into a new hallway, and froze as we spotted the figure slowly walking towards us. She was wearing a white and red kimono that had a flame motif stitched into it, and was carrying a long katana. Cherry blossoms matching the same pale pink of her hair floated on an invisible breeze around her as the bells on her katana jingled with each step she took on her red platform sandals. She paused just a little ways away from us, and we tensed in anticipation. Sho drew a hand of his cards, Jellal dropped into a fighting stance, and I drew two of my swords.

"Kon'nichiwa. I am the one they call Ikaruga." She stated calmly, as if she was commenting on the weather. "Who might you be?"

"Get out of our way lady." Sho ordered, brandishing his cards threateningly. "We've got bigger fish to fry!"

"Dear me, why must I be burdened by such a boorish man?" She muttered just loud enough for us to hear.

"I warned you!" Sho yelled as he flung the cards. His magic circle appeared just before him, enchanting the cards, but that didn't stop the assassin for even a moment. In a movement almost too fast to see, she unsheathed her katana, and sliced through every card with startling precision. "How did you do that?!" Sho demanded, on the verge of panic.

She just smirked as the cards around her disintegrated. "My katana is able to cut through anything with extreme precision."

"Well that sword of yours doesn't scare me!" He declared, dropping into his fighting stance. All of a sudden, there was a bright flash, and an x carved itself into the wood beneath his feet. His breath hitched as the cards in his hands broke apart. "I, I can't move." He gasped as he fell forwards. Jellal and I lunge d forwards to catch him. "What did you do?!" He demanded even as he shook with pain.

"I've just severed your nerves without cutting your clothing or flesh." She answered smugly. "Don't challenge my Mugetsu style." Her smile wavered momentarily as Jellal and I placed ourselves in-between her and Sho. "Well well, what do we have here?" She seemingly asked herself. "I had wondered where the two of you were, Jellal, Erza."

"The two of you need to keep moving." Sho ground out between gritted teeth. "I'll keep her distracted, now go!"

"She's too powerful for you to take on by yourself!" I shouted back at him.

"Don't worry about me! All that matters is that the two of you need take down Seilah before she brings this entire place down on our heads!" He countered.

"Don't be stupid Sho." Jellal hissed, a faint gold aura surrounding him even as he glared at Ikaruga. "Even if she's an assassin, she can't take both of us at once. Even with a magical sword."

"Oh?" Ikaruga mused, raising an eyebrow as she clicked her katana out of it's sheath. "Let's test that theory shall we?"


	68. Author Note

Hey guys. I know a lot of you probably want me to start this up again, and I've seen a lot of comments urging me to continue.

Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but this story is undergoing major revision. It has been for the last nine months, and it's probably not going to be finished for awhile yet. I took a look back on it, and I can honestly say that my quality of writing now, will blow this completely out of the water.

I'm going to eventually be posting the entire story again, only this time it will be in a series of books. I'm not even a quarter of the way done with the first book, but as soon as it is done I will be staggering posts for the chapters so I can work on the next.

Happy reading guys,

Freerunner


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